A small shelf, chosen slowly.
We don't make books, so we chose these the only way we could: they are the ones already on the shelf at home. The ones our daughter (now almost 4) asks for again, read until we know them by heart — and the ones waiting further along for when she's older.
Filter by age
Publishers band books by age and they get it wrong as often as not — The Oak Tree is labelled 3 to 5 and ours has asked for it since two and a half. Take these as a hint rather than a rule.
Stories
Picture books and poems about the woods, the seasons, letters and numbers.
Music, games & making
Things to listen to, match, press out and build — books that behave a little like toys.
A first library
The things a child meets early do more work than they appear to. Vivaldi at the press of a button, an alphabet that is really a guessing game, a Victorian field guide to fairies played entirely straight — these make the same argument as a wooden block. Made properly, meant seriously, handed over without talking down.