Fostering a Love of Reading- Sherwood Library and Our Favourite Books at Age 2

We spent part of Saturday afternoon at Sherwood Library, enjoying their large kids area and huge selection of books.  Toddler enjoyed the train table, which is slightly different than our local library (Concession), as well as the selection of puzzles, blocks, magnets and Duplo.  Because of the holiday weekend we were the only ones there so I felt comfortable letting little one free-roam (within my line of sight) while I perused the books for some good ones to take home.  My cousin introduced me to Sherwood Library and I love it because of the big children’s area.  There’s also a little craft station, puppet booth, and a few other activities for slightly older children.  If you haven’t been, it’s worth checking out!

As I’ve done in the past, I thought I’d share some books that we’re into now that little one is two.  We’ve basically done away with board books (except for in the car where I can’t supervise whether he’s ripping pages or not!) and have moved on to longer stories.  He’s still big on repetition and themes, so you’ll probably notice some trends in our list!

Little one’s love of all things aviation started at around 16 months and is still going strong.  He’s got a model hot air balloon, and a model A-380 hanging in his room which he mentions every night before bed and every morning when he wakes up.  His 2nd birthday was airplane themed, and as his guest book this year we used Where Do Jet Planes Sleep at Night as his guestbook– his friends and family signed the inside covers as a keepsake for him when he’s older.  He loves the rhythm of the book, as well as looking for the little mouse hiding on each page.  He’s also memorized all of the different types of planes and I think the last page reminds him a little bit of his own room with the planes hanging from the ceiling!

Another smash hit has been I’m Tough which is part of a series by Kate & Jim McMullan.  I’m tough is about a pick up truck that hauls some exciting loads.  We’ve had this book on loan from the library multiple times, and many months ago little one had it memorized.  I read the book and he fills in many blanks with great enthusiasm.  We love hearing him read along and we have read it so many times that we can also recite it without the book in front of us.  The best part is, there are several other books in the series which he loves almost as much, including I Stink and I’m Smart!

I’d heard about the Llama Llama series quite a while ago but only picked up some of the books from the library when we entered into the terrible twos.  We started with Llama Llama Mad at Mama, and have also enjoyed Llama Llama and the Bully Goat, and Llama Llama Time to Share.  Recently I was in Houston for work and was in the airport before flying home and FaceTiming with little one.  I was in a bookstore, and a little stuffed Llama Llama was sitting on the shelf so I held it up to the camera– of course his eyes lit up and he knew exactly who it was, so Llama Llama made the trek back to Hamilton and now joins us when we read Llama Llama stories.

Along with being obsessed with aviation, our toddler is also getting into outer space.  He has a baby monitor in his room that projects the solar system onto his ceiling and we talk about the different planets every night before bed.  He also has a rocket on his sleep sack, so every night he proclaims that he needs his “rocket suit” before bed.  At story time, he has taken an unusual amount of interest in Oliver Jeffers’ How to Catch a Star.  This is another book that he’s nearly memorized.  For Easter I found most of little one’s treats at Indigo (in an attempt to avoid sweets since I knew he’d be bombarded with them from his grandparents), and one of the recommended books was Here We Are, Notes for Living on Planet Earth.  The illustrations look gorgeous and the messages seemed really great.  I can’t wait to read it with little one this week before bed.

The last few books we read each night usually involve singing.  I find that little one becomes very zen when we read and sing.  Some of his favourites have been Pussy Cat, Pussy Cat Where Have You Been?, Pussy Cat, Pussy Cat, Where Have You Been?  I’ve Been to London and Guess What I’ve Seen, Rock a Bye Room, and Motor Goose:  Rhymes That Go.  I’ll give you fair warning– you’ll be singing children’s rhymes in your sleep, at work, and in the car (if you weren’t already).

What books is your two year old into right now?  Send me your suggestions– I’m always looking to broaden our horizons!