Mums & Tots Round-up: Best story books for toddlers

Reading is the foundation of all learning. The most important skill a child will ever learn. Good books for toddlers are an integral part of that.

It all starts with being read to as a baby, sharing the colourful pictures and filling their little brains with the magic of stories. It may seem silly at first but as a teacher, I can tell you that reading to your child will be the greatest gift you can ever give them. 

I love books, our house is full of them and we read every single day. My children see me read and they now have a love of books and will read to themselves too. Whether that be Gracie reading Roald Dahl or Wills babbling away looking at his board books – they love it and it is fostering their imagination and language development every step of the way. Real Mum Reviews has written a great post explaining the benefits of reading, a great read!

I often see bloggers sharing book reviews or reading lists and so I thought it would be a great idea to round them all up to give you a handy list! So if you are ever stuck for a gift idea or want to top up your book collection, you can come back and choose one that comes recommended by other parents. 

Book reviews

• Molly’s Magic Wardrobe review from Boo Roo and Tigger Too  
• Interstellar Cinderella review from Odd Socks & Lollipops
• Max and Bird review from The Mum Diaries
• Disney Animal World books review from Plutonium Sox
• The Children’s Meditations In My Heart review from Hodge Podge Days

Best for babies

• Best books for babies and toddlers from The Ladybirds’ Adventures
• 20 board books for babies and toddlers from Little Fish Blog
• Top 10 interactive board books from Cardiff Mummy Says

Best for toddlers

• A great selection from Rainy Day Mum
• Top 10 for little ones from Mummy Alarm
• 11 Classics for toddlers from Cardiff Mummy Says
• Must have books for your toddler from Hello Archie
• Top 5 books from Winging It With Two Boys
• Best books in 2018 from Me Him The Dog and a Baby
• 10 Books my toddler loves from Two Hearts One Roof plus a video of what they have been reading in April. 

Best for older toddlers

• Best books for older toddlers Thimble & Twig
• Best bedtime stories for older toddlers from Plutonium Sox

Age specific 

• Books for an 18 month old Devon Mama
• Books for a 2 year old from Devon Mama

Specific topics

• 20 dinosaur books from The Inspiration Edit
• Top 10 books for LGBT families from Lesbemums
• 5 books about weddings from Hodge Podge Days
• Birthday books countdown idea from Here Come The Girls

Using books for play

Pondering Parenthood has some amazing posts around using books to inspire play.

• The Hungry Caterpillar 
• Elmer 
• Dear Zoo

This photo from Quite Frankly She Said shows off her little ones reading The Little Boy Who Lost His Name. But what struck me was the caption – she tells us that if you read with your child every day, by the time they reach their third birthday you will have read over 1,000 stories together. Isn’t that amazing?

More toddler advice

• Mums & Tots Round-up: Spring fashion inspiration for toddlers
• LOL Round-up: Life with toddlers
• Newbie Tuesday roundup: Toddlers, leaving babies, and social media
• Mums & Tots Round-up: Getting organised with your toddlers
• Mums & Tots Round-up: Easter craft ideas for toddlers