You know those half birthdays are such a huge deal! My Toddler Bookworm is now 2.5!

Reading has really taken root in him at this stage. We easily read several dozen books each day. They’re part of the routine, but also just offered equally amongst the toys.  An adorable and heartwarming development this month has been Toddler Bookworm reading to Baby Bookworm! He loves to pick out a book for baby bro and read along with mommy, or read to him himself.

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Favorites at Month 30 (2.5 Years):

Waiting is Not Easy (An Elephant & Piggie Book) by Mo Willems. I just can’t say enough good things about Elephant & Piggie! These have won multiple Theodore Seuss Geisel Awards for a good reason! They are phenomenal. They are told in speech bubbles, typically by just Elephant (Gerald) and Piggie who are best pals. My husband and I read these aloud for family reading time, with myself playing Piggie and my hubs playing Elephant. So. Much. Fun. We get a kick out of these as grown ups but they are silly, engaging, and meet toddler & preschoolers’ life experiences with heartwarming solutions- and grown ups’ too. I gifted my then-boyfriend (now husband) a copy of I Am Going when we were in the throes of dating long distance. (See, he knew full well what he was getting in to by marrying a children’s librarian!) Now I should probably gift him a copy of Should I Share My Ice Cream? 😉

Locomotive by Brian Floca. This was added to our collection when it won the Caldecott Award in 2014. Looking at my not-yet 1 year old, I had no intention of sharing it with him for quite a while, but I buy the Caldecott winner every year so on the shelf it went. When he started his fascination with trains around age 2, I put it on display on a high shelf.  Of course he spotted it and demanded to read. Depending on the review source you look at, this one is geared toward grades K-3 or 3-6. But here’s a case where interest in a subject matter can raise reading/listening level!

This book is filled with train-related onomatopoeia, so if we’re short for time (and for our early readings) we will picture walk the book and read just the sound words which stand out from the text easily. This book also won the Sibert Award for best informational book, and it provides a fantastic look at early railroads in America.  If you have a train lover in your midst, this is worth a look!

Mercy Watson Goes for a Ride by Kate DiCamillo (and series). Oh Mercy! I can’t tell you how many meals we have eaten with that lovable pig at our table. The Mercy Watson series is a PERFECT first chapter book read aloud with vibrant pictures and lots of action. Although they run about 50 pages long, we read them in one sitting, usually during mealtimes. The series has broad age appeal: my two year old devours them as read alouds, and my second graders used to be on a continual waiting list loop nearly all year at the library. Mercy Watson Goes for a Ride is the second in the series and also won a Geisel Award; the series does not need to be read in order.

These titles have Toddler Bookworm’s heart and attention at the moment! What are your favorites for the halfway mark between two and three years old?  

The books mentioned in this post should be readily available at your library, or at the affiliate links provided.

Happy Reading!