At 18 months, my son has started choosing his own picture books | 13 books he is currently obsessed with

Until a little while ago, I was the one choosing the picture books.
I would take one from the bookshelf and open it in front of my son.

My son would look at the pictures, turn the pages, and sometimes wander off in the middle.
Even so, we read the same books over and over again.

Now that he is 18 months old, a small change has occurred during our picture book time.

My son has started going to the bookshelf by himself.
He chooses the book he wants to read, holds it with both hands, and brings it to me.

Even if he cannot clearly say "read this" yet, I understand when I see him holding it out to me.

"This one, please."

Having gone from crawling to walking on two legs, and with both hands now free, my son has become able to carry the things he likes by himself.

Watching this, I was reminded that children truly know what they want to be immersed in at any given moment.

Rather than me deciding "let's read this," the books my son chooses have increasingly taught me about his interests at that time.

I previously wrote about how "children know the direction in which they want to grow," and since around this time, I have come to think that choosing picture books is an extension of that.
→"Free time" nurtures children. Independence is born from boring moments.

Being able to walk and being able to choose picture books.
They may seem like separate milestones, but they might actually be connected.

This time, I have compiled a list of the picture books that my 18-month-old son chooses and brings to me now.

I hope this serves as an example from our home for those searching for "what kind of picture books are good for an 18-month-old?"

Picture books for 18-month-olds: From "reading" to "participating"

Watching my 18-month-old son, I notice several commonalities in the books he is currently obsessed with.

• They have repetition

• They allow him to move his body

• They allow for pointing and mimicking

• They allow him to check the mechanisms himself

• They are connected to daily life

These are books that allow my son to enter the world of the story, rather than just listening to it.
It's more about playing together than just "reading."

When I say something, my son responds with gestures, facial expressions, and movements.
Little by little, we've started to have a back-and-forth dialogue between parent and child.
As this "back-and-forth" increases, I've begun to understand what makes my son laugh, where he pauses, and what he finds interesting.

It feels less like reading a picture book and more like being allowed to peek into my son's world through the book.
→“What are non-cognitive skills? A book that made me think about how parents can get involved”

“Kao Kao Donna Kao” (Face, Face, What Kind of Face?)

A picture book where you can enjoy various facial expressions.

On the page that says "one nose on the face," he points to his own nose and giggles.
He used to just look at the pictures, but now it seems he connects the faces in the book to his own face.

When we read it together, we can play by imitating happy faces, sad faces, and angry faces.
While reading the book, my son is becoming aware of his own face and emotions.

It's a book that makes those moments interesting.

“Itadakimasu” (Let's Eat)

A picture book close to everyday life that starts with preparing a meal.
At the end, when it says "Itadakimasu," my son puts his hands together too.

Seeing him do exactly what he saw in the book at the dinner table makes me feel that, for my son, picture books and daily life are not separate.

Rather than just teaching him habits, it's a book that makes our usual meals even more fun.

“Ana-aki Kakurenbo: Norimono Naani?” (Peek-a-boo Through the Hole: What Vehicle is This?)

A gimmick book where you can see part of a vehicle through a hole.

He turns the page wondering "what is it?" based on the shape he can see a little bit of.
When a train appears, he gets super excited and shouts "Train!"
Even on pages where he already knows the answer, he reacts with the same joy every time.

For adults, once you know the answer, it's over, but for children, confirming what they already know is also fun, isn't it?

“Hamigaki Asobi” (Toothbrushing Play)

A book that led him to start pretending to brush his teeth while saying "gosh-gosh."
Even if he sometimes resists actual toothbrushing, he participates happily within the book.

Rather than bracing myself thinking "I have to make him brush his teeth," it's better to encounter it through play first.
Then, I feel that a sense of "I know this" and "I've done this before" gradually grows within my son.

It's a book that creates an opportunity for him to "want to try it" rather than "making him do it."

"Shapes, Pop, Pop, Pop"

This is a lift-the-flap book we have enjoyed for a long time, ever since he was an infant.
When you tilt the book, shapes like circles and triangles move and start to look like something else.

Now that he is 18 months old, he has started tilting the book himself to check how the mechanisms change.

It used to be a book where I would move the parts to show him.
Now, it has become a book that my son tries out for himself.

It taught me that even with the same book, the way of playing with it changes as a child grows.

"Tsu-tsu-tsu-tsu-tsu"

This is a picture book that you enjoy by tracing lines with your finger.

From the days when he would just watch me move my finger, he has now started trying to touch it with his own finger.

Not just looking with his eyes, but using his fingertips too.
Parent and child following the same line together.

Even during a period when he doesn't have many words yet, just following one thing together becomes a real interaction.

"Daruma-san and..."

Out of the Daruma-san series, this is the one he brings to me most often right now.

He sways his body from side to side and mimics the movements that appear.
At the final "Yay!", my son also breaks into a huge smile.

When we read this book, it's not so much about sitting and reading quietly, but a time for parent and child to move and laugh together.

It lightly shatters the adult assumption that picture books are things you just look at quietly.

"Good Evening, Moon"

This is a staple in our home that we have been reading since he was very small.
Even now, he loves the moon on the back cover sticking its tongue out, and he laughs every single time.

Even though he knows the content perfectly, he laughs at the same part no matter how many times we read it.

For a child, a favorite picture book is likely not just about receiving new stimulation.

I think the comfort of "knowing what will happen next" is also one of the joys of picture books.

The Goldfish Escaped

This is a book that really changed his reaction once he started enjoying the game of 'searching'.

When I ask, 'Where is the goldfish?', he stares intently at the page.
The slightly proud look on his face when he finds it.

He used to just look at the pictures, but now he looks at the pages with a purpose.
I tend to want to praise him for 'developing concentration,' but for my son, it's probably just fun to search.

I want to watch those absorbed eyes without getting in the way.

Red Red Black Black

With its clear color scheme, this is a book we've been reading since he was a newborn.
Since it's a book for babies, I sometimes think he might be outgrowing it.

However, my son still chooses it and brings it to me himself.
Perhaps there is no need for adults to decide that it's 'for younger children'.

My son has his own way of looking at it and enjoying it right now.
As long as my child chooses it, I want to read it with him as many times as he likes.

Shirokuma-chan's Pancakes

Little by little, he has started to enjoy the flow of the story as well.
What he likes in particular is the scene where the pancakes are being cooked.

He watches the cooking process intently, listening to the sounds like 'plop,' 'ooze,' and 'sizzle'.

Today's Snack

This is a pop-up book that uses mirror-like pages to create a three-dimensional world.
My son opens the book himself and stares at it while changing the angle.

Even when I'm not next to him, there are times when he checks it himself and enjoys it in his own way.
Picture books, which used to be 'books to be read to him,' have also become 'things to play with himself.'
This is a book that makes me feel that change.

And this picture book gave me a surprise once again later on.

When I was making pancakes, my son muttered, 'You can't eat it yet.'
In that moment, I realized he was remembering a scene from 'Today's Snack'.

In a child's mind, the picture book they read yesterday and the events of today are connected in one continuous thread.
Being shown moments like that is my favorite part of reading aloud.

I Love You So Much (Hug)

When we get to the 'hug' page, he really comes over and hugs me.
The words in the picture book turn directly into parent-child interaction.
Every time he hugs me, I grow to love this book even more.

I thought I was reading for my child, but it is the parent who is being made happy.
It is that kind of book.

You can see their current interests from the books the child chooses

When adults choose picture books,

“It might increase their vocabulary,”
“It might help them learn daily habits,”
“It seems good for intellectual development,”

we think of some kind of purpose.

However, the reasons my son chooses books are much freer.

Because we can move together.
Because we can laugh at the same parts.
Because trains appear in it.
Because the mechanisms are mysterious.
Because he can be hugged.

The book a child chooses from the shelf reflects what they 'like' at that moment.

That is why, lately, rather than what I want him to read,
“I wonder what he will choose today”
has become something I look forward to seeing.

I have recently come to think that rather than thinking about 'what I want him to like,' it might be more important to spend time observing 'what is moving his heart right now.'

The book a child chooses might be a small hint that tells us about 'the world this child is cultivating right now.'

Conclusion | Picture books are a time to get a glimpse into a child's world

Even when reading the same picture book, his reactions are completely different now at eighteen months old compared to when he was an infant.

He moves the books he used to only look at himself.
He responds with his voice and gestures to the words he used to only listen to.
He chooses and brings the books I used to choose for him.

What I was seeing through the picture books was not just the content of the books.

“What does he like right now?”
“What does he find interesting?”

I think I have been allowed to get a small glimpse into my son's world.

Now that he is eighteen months old, the back-and-forth between parent and child has gradually become longer.

Which book will he bring next?
How will he react to the same book this time?

With a picture book between us, I want to continue discovering my son's 'likes' from here on out.

I used to wonder, "What kind of picture books will make my child smarter?"

Things are a little different now.
"What kind of world will he show me today?"
That is the feeling I have when I open a book now.

I believe that picture books are not meant to impart knowledge, but are gateways for us to travel through the child's world together.

That is why, even today, I am waiting for the next book, not by looking at the bookshelf, but by following my son's gaze.

For those who want to enjoy picture books even more

📖 200 songs and 10,000 read-aloud sessions
I write about what I have felt through continuing to read aloud.

📚 A gateway to the world and language
I have compiled articles on how to expand the world together as parent and child through picture books and illustrated encyclopedias.

🛍 The picture books introduced here
→ Rakuten ROOM "Ken-Mama's Picture Bookshelf"