I’ve found that fiction can help my son relate to himself as he deals with his current awkward “am I a baby or a big boy?” stage. (It comes with a lot of tears and frustration on his part.)
Baby Happy, Baby Sad by Leslie Patricelli is one fictional picture book that he enjoys. He can pick out from the simple illustrations just why the baby is sad. It’s easy to relate to a sad baby when he can see a clear illustration of the sad happening! I love Patricelli’s adorable little babies in her board books.
No No Yes Yes by Leslie Patricelli is another “I can relate” book for my son, as he’s done many of the things illustrated on the pages!
We’ve also been reading the Jane Yolen “dinosaur” books illustrated by Mark Teague, particularly How Do Dinosaurs Play with Their Friends, because my son still struggles to let his friends play with his toys: it’s just so hard. In addition, we’ve checked out nonfiction relating to feelings and emotions, such as Lots of Feelings by Shelley Rotner. He loves looking at the baby and toddler faces in this one. Real photographs make it a valuable book for toddlers to learn about emotions.
I love how kid-appropriate books help me teach my two-year-old the behavior skills he needs in life!