I love two year olds. That's wonderful that she's enjoying these books, that's kind of at the 5 yr old level.

My recommendations are the books I really really liked when I was pretty little, or that my neice or daughter liked/likes. I second by the way the Beatrix Potter. The naughty mice are a favorite of mine.

Hilda Boswell's Treasury of Fairy Tales though it's out of print. I ADORE her illustrations, they're magical. The fairy tales are cleaned up a bit, the witch is redeemed in Hansel and Gretel, for instance, but they were my favorites when I was little. If you can't find Hilda's version, any set of fairy tales for ages 5 to 7 would probably do provided they're illustrated enough.

Frances books by Russell Hoban. Bread and Jam for Frances, Bedtime for Frances, A Birthday for Frances, etc. Frances is a very sweet little critter, I think she's a badger, but I can't quite remember.

The Golden Sleepy Book by Margaret Wise Brown. A collection of stories, songs, and poems by my favorite children's author of all time barring the inimitiable Laura Ingalls Wilder. This was THE naptime book for DD when she was two. The pictures entranced her.

Just Imagine: A Book of Fairyland Rhymes by Guy Gilchrist. A collection of poems that are by turn charming, silly, and sublime. "My Teddy Bear, he talks to me he does, he really does! He's certainly the most talkative bear there ever ever was." This has been loved by both neice and DD since they were toddlers, it's still a favorite with DD at five.

Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling. Great yarns, but I don't know specifically which edition has really good illustrations.

Aesop's Fables by Aesop! There are lots of editions of this out there, some complete, some selected, can't recommend a specific edition in regards to illustrations again, though.

The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown. A classic.

Guess How Much I Love You? by Sam Mcbratney. A newer classic.

I Am a Bunny by Richard Scary. OK, so this one isn't a meatier book, it's a very simple book, but the illustrations are so vivid, detailed, and fascinating, it should be in every child's library. It was my all time favorite book growing up. I would sit and just stare at the pictures for what seemed like hours (probably all of ten minutes, but I was five, time was experienced differently then.)

Child's Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson. If you've not read this, you must. If you have read it, I don't need to explain why it's so good.

Day and Night and Other Dreams by Cooper Edens. Originaly released with an accompanying cassette. The "Fine and Curious Company of Singers" sing the songs in the most delightful way. My mother and I could listen to the tape over and over and over and never get nauseated by it, something I can say about very few children's recordings. If you can find the book with the accompanying cassette, you're a better woman than I, but even with just the book it's great. It's an enchanting collection of poems by William Blake, Tennyson, and others with vintange illustrations, if I remember correctly. Cooper Edens has a thing for vintage children's illustrations.

As you can see, my tastes run to Fairy Tales, Poems, and Bunnies. I make no apologies.

Anhata
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