I don’t think you can go wrong with Tomie dePaola. But you probably already know that. I don’t know if she’s ready for SkippyJonJones books yet (Judith Schachner) but I think they are some of the best written picture books I’ve ever read.

<<rubs hands together>>  ok, here are some fantastic ones:

Yolen’s Dinosaur books - any of them are GREAT - “how do dinosaurs say goodnite”, “go to school”, “get well soon” etc

corduroy books by…  freeman?

ezra keats - “The snowy day” and he has some others

check out “brown” (of goodnight moon), she has other nice ones too.

“tawny scrawny lion” (its a golden book)

ANYTHING by tomie de Paola

ANYTHING by eric carle (of hungry caterpillar)

“the country bunny and the little gold shoes” (great prolife, pro mama book) by heyward

“harry the dirty dog” - gene zion

beatrix potter might be good for her now as well

aa milne, winnie the pooh classic stuff

and that’s all i can think of!

John Bulter is a great one. His books are simple, easy to read and beautiful. Some of my son’s favorites (he’s 20 months) are Who’s baby am I?, Can you Growl like Bear? and Who says Woof?

We are huge fans of Eric Carle in our house as well.

Jan Brett has some fantastic books, though on the long side of things. We normally split on of her books over several days.

Tasha Tudor is a great one too.

My son also really likes Eileen Christelow “five monkeys” books as well.

Also, feel free to ask your librarian for some suggestions.

My daughter is almost exactly Camilla’s age. I understand not being to browse the shelves. I’ve been using the book lists from the Little Saints preschool book mostly. It’s a pricy book if that’s all you’re using it for but it has tons of preschool ideas too. Other homeschool websites/catalogs might be a good source too. (Sonlight.com is one not Catholic but lots of classic books) Other than that we love Eric Carle books here. Head to Toe is a favorite. We are still buying some board books for sturdiness but ones that are regular storylines. Caps for Sale is a recent addition.

“Shoe Baby” by Joyce Dunbar was a favorite of our now-4 y.o., and “Adele and Simon” by Barbara McClintock, which has very detailed illustrations to pore over, as big sister Adele goes home from school (in Paris) with her brother Simon who loses most of his belongings along the way. I used to like Amy Welborn’s children’s book recommendations at her Open Book blog because one of her criteria was that it wouldn’t drive you crazy to read it over and over.

Monica Wellington is fabulous—my favorite is “Bunny’s Rainbow Day.”  We also love love “Mr. Cookie Baker” and “Apple Farmer Annie.”

Lois Ehlert should also be on your list.

And don’t forget Curious George books by H.A. Rey, and anything by Dr. Seuss.

Then of course there’s all those “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” books by Laura Numeroff.

Have fun!!

My daughter is about 2 mos. younger than yours so I think they probably have similar levels.  Here is our list of authors to look for:
Ezra Jack Keats - any and all
James Marshall - all of them.  We love The Cut-ups, George and Martha, and Miss Nelson
Russell Hoban’s “Frances” books.  I like Lillian Hoban’s “Brute” books too, but her “Arthur and Violet” books leave a lot to be desired - the boy is *always* wrong. 
Dr Seuss, of course
Beatrix Potter, at least the bunny ones.  Mr Tod was a bit long for dd. 
Eric Carle
Marc Brown - I know the “Arthur” books are popular and there’s a tv show, which made me wary, but they are actually stories I haven’t had to worry about and there’s equitable boy/girl treatment
Steven Kellogg
Robert Munsch - he wrote “Love you Forever” and a million other books, none of which (so far) are anything like that “famous” one.  The others are just all goofy, funny.  A bit weird, but fun.
Paul Galdone - classic folk tales, well told
Bill Martin Jr (lots of his are illustrated by Eric Carle)
Patricia Lee Gauch’s “Tanya” books
Have you tried poetry?  A.A. Milne as an author (actually, dd has liked some of the Pooh stories too, though she usually sticks to one and doesn’t quite get that there are more chapters and stories.) and collections like Bubble Trouble; Side by Side: poems to read together; The Ice Cream Store; Carol of the Brown King by Langston Hughes (even though Christmas is over)
I may have to post again if I think of more…

“Henry and the Dragon”, I think by Eileen Christelow

“The Salamander Room”—a perennial favorite here

“The Children’s Book of Virtues” and :The Children’s Book of Heroes”—there are illustrated versions, lovely, with lots of short stories in them

“Jesus” be someon named Demi—some of the most gorgeous illustrations ever, a lot like icons

The kids’ Bible by Fr. Lovasik—I think it is the St. Joseph Bible

It won’t be too many years until she’s ready for the American Girl books!

My children love a book called “Knuffle Bunny” by Mo Williams.
We also enjoy Rosemary Wells, Tomie dePalo, Jane Yolen, “Hand, Hand, Finger, Thumb”, Eastman(Are you my Mother?, Go Dog Go), Suess, “10 Minutes to Bedtime” (highly recommend, not a lot of words, but great detail), and “Angel on the Waters” - Regina Doman and of course, Jan Brett. Curious George is great as is “Clickty-Clack”. Don’t forget Robert McCloskey(“Blueberries for Sal”, “Make Way for Ducklings”).
Another thing I would recommend is checking out the children’s non-fiction section, especially the fairy tale section (390’s?).  There’s some beautiful books with wonderful illustrations here, plus it gives your children exposure to how the Dewey Decimal system works.  I’ve found it’s helped my children become more comfortable in the library, and have a working knowledge of how to find things.  Have fun!  Oh, ask your Children’s Librarian for suggestions.  They are a great resource.

Sorry that I don’t have any suggestions myself. We too are just now entering the picture book phase with our oldest. I am certainly going to bookmark this post to check back and see the suggestions.

Thanks everyone!

My two and a half year old boy loves anything by Richard Scarry:  For Christmas he got the Things that Go book which he could look at for hours.  He also has looked at from the library, the Best Counting Book Ever (he loves numbers due to that!), What People Do All Day, etc.  The illustrations are classic and has such minutia toddlers love to observe.
He also loves Curious George.
I would also suggest any books by Tomi dePaola, many of which are Catholic based (we have a great one on St. Franics) and I always loved the Strega Nona series.
Good luck!  And sometimes there are book lists available at your local library with age specific material!

My son (who turned 3 in October) LOVES the Little Quack series. I can’t remember the author, but the illustrator is Derek Anderson (same name as the quarterback for the Browns—different person, I assume!). The first book is just called Little Quack, but there’s also Little Quack’s Hide and Seek, Little Quack’s Bedtime, and Little Quack’s New Friend.

I would suggest that even if you get a longer book such as one of Jan Brett’s you do not need to read all of the words (even shorter books for that matter).  What is most important is just talking about the pictures and using similair vocabulary or pointing out things that are happening or that might be new.  I work with infants and toddlers (also have my own) and I do this more than read a book word for word until they are able to sit through and understand the book.

Oh thanks for this post—I’m going to have to print off all the comments,.  my daughter will be 3 later this month.  She loves all the Dr. Sues books—right now she’s loving green eggs and ham and Ten Apples Up on Top; all the Eric Carle books, One Fine Day (about a fox) I think it is a caldecott award winner, A snowy Day, also a caldecott winner.  Also this goldilocks and 3 bears book http://www.amazon.com/Goldilocks-Three-Bears-Lauren-Child/dp/1423119983/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1263405154&sr=8-7
the pictures are photographs and so beautiful.  my daughter also loves the Pinkilicious book, the Very Brace Witch (even though it is lost past halloween).

I love love love children’s books. No, really. Some of my favorite authors include Peter Reynolds (The Dot ranks among my favorites), Amy Krouse Rosenthal, & Mo Willems (The Pigeon is hilarious, Piggie & Elephant are awesome… you can’t go wrong). Some other favorite books by various authors include Tacky the Penguin, Not a Box, The Paper Bag Princess, & The Gift of Nothing.

Bree is absolutely right about Tacky the Penguin and the Pigeon books
also
What If the Shark Wears Tennis Shoes? (Winifred Morris)
Llama Llama Red Pajama (Anna Dewdney)
Daniel Pinkwater’s Irving and Muktuk books
Bob (Tracy Campbell Pearson)
The Gruffalo (Julia Donaldson)

Here are some of our favorites, in no particular order: Little Bear’s Friend, Little Bear’s Visit (Elsie Homelund Minarik); Man Whose Name was Not Thomas by (M. Jean Craig); Bidgood’s in the Bathtub, Napping House (Don and Audrey Wood); Corduroy (Don Freeman); Goodnight Moon, Runaway Bunny (Margaret Wise Brown); OxCart Man (Donald Hall—Caldecott); Ferdinand (Munro Leaf); Moon Mouse (Adelaide Holl); Puff Puff, Chugga Chugga (Christopher Wormell); Welcome to the Ice House (Jane Yolen)
So Many Bunnies (Rick Walton); The Christ Child (Maud and Miska Petersham); What Do You Say, Dear? What Do You Do, Dear? (Sesyle Joslyn); The Baby in the Hat, Peek-a-boo (Ahlbergs). I’m also a stickler for enjoyable text and beautiful pictures. These, I think, qualify. Or at least, they are well-loved by my four and two year olds.

Another great blogger, Sarah at This Heavenly Life does “What we found at the library” every couple weeks. You can see all kinds of cute books, and she’s added a Mr. Linky so anyone can feel free to join her. Here’s the link to those specific posts:
http://thisheavenlylife.blogspot.com/search/label/What We Found At The Library

Clifford, Froggy and Berenstain bear books are can’t miss books in our house.  My kids both love If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and other books from that series.  The Madeline books are very nice (especially if you have a Madeline in the house), as are the George and Martha stories (I find these rather humorous).

My daughters are 3 1/2 and 22 months. Here are a few of our favorites:

Dahlia by Barbara McClintock was one of my girls favorites this year. A sweet story about a tomboyish girl who doesn’t want a doll but gets one anyway and falls in love. Bonus: I don’t mind reading this one thousands of times.

The Good-Night Kiss by Jim Aylesworth illustrated by Walter Lyon Krudop. It begins with a frog under a lily pad who sees a raccoon who sees a deer who sees an owl… and ends with a moth on a windowpane who sees a child who is listening to a book who receives a good-night kiss from a person who loves the child. A peaceful book, with a wonderful pacing, calm beautiful pictures with plenty of detail to entertain the eye but not busy. A wonderful choice to leave for the last of the night.

Owl Moon by Jane Yolen, illustrated by John Schoenherr is the story of a father and child’s late-night trek to find a great horned owl in the snowy, moonlight woods. Both the text and the pictures are perfect. Yolen manages to pull off a first person narrative from the child’s perspective and to capture a distinct voice. There is a lyrical quality to the prose, really it’s almost poetry and not prose at all, that does not seem at odds with that child’s voice.

Listen to the Rain by Bill Martin Jr and John Archambault, illustrated by James Endicott. This one is as much form mom as daughter but the girls love it too. Poetry that fills the mouth and refreshes the soul. A tall cool drink of water for a warm sunny day, a perfect accompaniment on a rainy, indoorsy, couch-snuggly, book-reading day. The pictures are lovely as well. There’s a sort feel that I can only think of as Japanese, a simplicity of form and line and yet richness of tone.

If Not for the Cat by Jack Prelutsky A perfect pairing of beautiful haiku about animals and beautiful illustrations.

Madeleine by Ludwig Bemelmans, It’s a classic and well worth checking out. Fun rhyming stories about the 12 little girls in Paris.

Easter by Fiona French is a gorgeous presentation of the Easter story in twelve stained glass tableaux. Text is abridged from the Revised Standard Version of the New Testament. It doesn’t water down the Biblical language with too-simple paraphrases and yet doesn’t overwhelm with too much text either. Any other books by Fiona French too. She’s got one on the Canticle of the Sun and one about Christmas called Bethlehem.

A Child’s Calendar by John Updike, illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman. This is a book of poetry, one poem for each month. Gorgeous poems. This is a book I love reading for myself; but it’s also a frequently requested book. Lush pictures full of details and with animals galore follow two families through a typical New England year.

What the Sea Saw by Stephanie St Pierre, illustrated by Beverly Doyle. Beautiful pictures of the ocean and beaches, highlighting fish, birds and animals.

Looks like you’ve got plenty to keep you busy for awhile, but I just wanted to add, ask the librarian if they’ve got anything new that might be interesting to Camilla.  I’ve found our children’s librarian is just itching to share the new books she’s picked out.  When I’ve had a toddler by the hand (or strap), grab any of those books that they put on top of the shelves that strike your fancy.  And over check-out (meaning check out LOTS of books)!  If you find something you’re not interested in sharing with the kids, set it aside (where they don’t see it) and you won’t have to read it over and over again.  If you’ve checked out lots of books, they’ll never miss it!  Also, look for older and well-worn books - that’s usually an indication they’re favorites of the library’s patrons!

Picture books are one area where it’s hard to go wrong with a library’s “Top 100 Best” list. There usually isn’t much controversial or inappropriate material in books made for the 6 and under crowd.

My 3 year old’s current favorites:

Any of the Max and Ruby books
“The Monster at the End of this book” (with Grover the Sesame street monster.)
“Owl Babies” (which is about separation anxiety. He weeps, but asks for it again anyway. Because the momma owl DOES come home in the end.)
“Tosca’s Surprise” and “Tosca’s Christmas.” Basically anything with Anne Mortimer illustrating it is going to make your eyes pop. Gorgeous paintings.
“Ferdinand.” Yes, the bull.

And remember, it’s better developmentally to invest in 25 excellent books and re-read them than to spam them with a new book every day from the library. Little kids thrive on repetition.

The Beatrix Potter books are fabulous!

The “Spot” books by Eric Hill were enjoyed by all 3 of my children when they were that age.

Wow, you all have lots to say on this topic!  I don’t see that anyone else has mentioned Nancy Tafuri, one of our favorites.  Her stories are simple enough for the really tiny ones and her pictures are beautiful.  Have you Seen My Duckling? is a classic.

Here are the books my three year old daughter loves: 

There Was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly (Simms Taback)
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (Bill Martin Jr)
Blueberries for Sal (Robert McCloskey)
Is Your Mama a Llama (Deborah Guarino)
Chrysanthemum (Kevin Henkes)
Owen (Kevin Henkes)
Corduroy (Don Freeman)
The Snowy Day (Ezra Jack Keats)
Where the Wild Things Are (Maurice Sendak)
Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel (Virginia Lee Burton)
The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Hungry Bear (Don Wood)
Duck at the Door (Jackie Urbanovic)
Little Pea (Amy Krouse Rosenthal)
If You Give a Pig a Pancake (Laura Numeroff)

I haven’t read the previous posts, so forgive me if I am repeating something…

I purchased a pre-school homeschool curriculum called “Little Saints: A Catholic Pre-School Program with Classical Disciplines.”  For each week’s “lesson” she has a list of children’s books.  She also incorporates poetry from “Favorite Poems Old and New” selected by Helen Farris; “A Child’s Garden of Verses” by Robert Louis Stevenson; and “Sing-Song” by Christina Rossi.  I think illustrations are very important (because that’s where the child’s attention is drawn while listening) and I found ACGV with illustrations by Hilda Boswell at a second-hand shop.  I don’t know the copyright date, but there is an inscription in the front dated 1968.

There is a lovely book I checked out from my local library by Charlotte Zolotow called “Do You Know What I’ll Do?” c 1958.  It’s about a little girl and her baby brother.  It about made me cry.  There is an updated version, which I haven’t read, but I just fell in love with the illustrations in the 1958 version.  Speaking of fantastic illustrations: Make Way for Ducklings comes to mind.  In fact, anything by Robert McCloskey.

Our library card catalog system is online and I often reserve 20 books or so at a time and the library calls me when several are in and then I go pick them all up.  It isn’t as fun as browsing the children’s section, but with 3 boys 5 & under, that’s just something I don’t get to do.  This way, I know we are getting good quality books.  Like you, I am often overwhelmed in the children’s section and can’t afford to go back and forth between the computer and bookshelves.

Hope you are getting fantastic suggestions!  Books are so important.  My kids all enjoy being read to.  And I love reading to them.  It’s a big part of our day.

I’m sure you’ve heard of the Caldecott Award—we have had great luck working our way through the books on that list:

http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/caldecottmedal/caldecottmedal.cfm

Between the books that actually won the medal and the honorees, it’s a big list!  I also look for other books by Caldecott Medal/Honor authors and illustrators.  Often one of their books has been honored but several others they wrote or illustrated are great too.  We found great books by William Steig, Kevin Henkes, and Mo Willems that way.

One other note, I always found going to the library with an active toddler to be completely exhausting.  Taking books off the shelves, trying to escape into elevators and down stairwells… I never had a minute of peace to look for books.  The library’s on-line catalog and reserve system SAVED me.  I browse and reserve books on-line from home and then pick them up off the hold shelf at the library.  I receive an email when the book is on the shelf and I have a week to get it.  Quick and painless!  And, I could devote my attention to the toddlers without trying to browse the shelves at the same time.  Love technology!!

Hi Arwen,

I’ve written to you before as we’re from the same area and I used to teach in the Atrium at your parish before moving overseas.  I don’t know if you live in or just near the parish, but for the library system in A2, I survived bringing a pack of little people to the library by doing my research in advance and then ordering a list of books through their online system.  I could easily pick out a ton of great, pre-screened books, and then simply be notified when some or all were ready for pick-up.  Of course kids always want to pick something from the shelves themselves so I usually let them pick out one or two, but once they got used to the literal piles of books we would pick up at the reserved counter, they rarely complained about wanting to make their own choices.  Those rows and rows of books are even more overwhelming for them!  If you’re not in A2, check to see if your town’s library offers a similar online, reserve hold system.  Enjoy these outings too.  I can’t wait to get back to using an English-language library!!

I third the “Honey for a Child’s Heart” reccomendation! In the beginning of the book are some excellent and enjoyable essays about reading to your children, and then follows a REALLY long list of books with brief descriptions about each one. And, since she divides the books into age groups you’ll never be at a loss for good books as your kids grow.
Some not-to-be-missed picture books I don’t remember in the book though are:
Miss Twiggley’s Tree, by Dorothea Warren Fox
Miss Suzy, by Miriam Young
Cookies: Bite-size Life Lessons, by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
Pamela Walks the Dog, by Hilda van Stockum (I promise the punchline at the end will make you chuckle)
Everything by Barbara Mclintock
Everything by Wanda G’ag
And we also like Mr. Bear Squash-You-All-Flat and The Surprise Doll by Morrell Gipson

What timing!  I wrote a blog on this same topic earlier this afternoon.  My favorite is Iza Trapani, who expands traditional nursery rhymes, adding verses and turning them into whimsical stories.  The illustrations are delightful as well.  Happy reading!

A good collection to have at home is 20th Century Children’s Literature.

The stories don’t have all the pictures, so you may want to check some out from the library too, but almost every book in there is really good and they are color coded for difficulty

So many posters had great suggestions!  My favorites are by Eric Carle, and the Max and Ruby Books by Rosemary Wells !  Bunny Cakes is my alltime favorite.  I was fortunate enough to receive a book signed by Rosemary Wells, thanks to my wonderful cousin !  I will cherish it.  It’s an Easter book and it’s called “Max’s Chocolate Chicken”.  Max is an annoying little brother LOL, who tries his very best to do things right. (At least according to him LOL!)

Caps for Sale (I forget the author). Also, a couple of posts have mentioned Blueberries for Sal and Make Way for Ducklings by McCloskey.  There is another by him -Time of Wonder.  Beautiful description of Maine.

Ditto the “Honey for a Child’s Heart” recommendation! If I forget to bring my copy to the library, I am lost!

My all time favorite children’s book is available in a board book.  It is Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown.

My kids found the Olivia the Pig series and any of Mo Willems’ works hilarious.  We like a bit of humor in our books. 

Jen in OK

I have really low tolerance for poorly written childrens books.  I refuse to read a lot of them.  But some that have made the cut are:
Olivia series by Ian Falconer
Mercy Watson series by Kate Di Camillo
Alfie & Annie Rose series by Shirley Hughes
Little House early reader books
Frances series by Russel Hoban
Madeline
Angelina Ballerina
Fancy Nancy by Jane O’Conner
I picked up an “I Spy Alphabet in Art” at the Chicago Art Institute.  My children loved that book.

I was in your shoes about 3 years ago, too.  Here are my recommendations:

I like the books posted on Elizabeth Foss’ “Along the Alphabet Path” (http://www.elizabethfoss.com/elizabethfoss/serendipity/along-the-alphabet-path/index.htm).

I have also purchased “A Picture Perfect Childhood,” which has MANY booklists (of picture books).

I forgot to mention Cicely Mary Barker’s Flower Fairies series! Little girls love to pore over the beautifully detailed (and botanically correct!) pictures which are paired with delightful poems.