The best books on toddler development and behavior

Why am I passionate about this?

My passion has always been caring for and educating young children. I spent over 20 years in the classroom as a child care professional and much of that time was with toddlers. I discovered that the stereotype of the terrible twos was truly misguided. I chose books that will shed new light on why toddlers behave the way that they do. These books will show the reader what an important time this is in a child’s growth and learning. I believe that these books will help convince you that toddlers are not terrible; they are terrific!


I wrote...

365 Toddler Activities That Inspire Creativity: Games, Projects, and Pastimes That Encourage a Child's Learning and Imagination

By Joni Levine,

Book cover of 365 Toddler Activities That Inspire Creativity: Games, Projects, and Pastimes That Encourage a Child's Learning and Imagination

What is my book about?

With 365 Toddler Activities That Inspire Creativity, you can spark your child's creativity and maximize his or her potential every day of the year. Written by an experienced child-care expert, you will find hundreds of entertaining toddler activities, songs, games, and art projects that stimulate cognitive development and encourage inventiveness. You and your toddler will enjoy playtime with age-appropriate activities like: magic sun prints, treasure chest, sprout in a bag rainbow toast, fishing in the tub, all-about-me book, and so many more!

Featuring everything from outdoor activities to rainy-day fun, 365 Toddler Activities That Inspire Creativity provides hours of creative toddler play!

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Touchpoints-Birth to Three

Joni Levine Why did I love this book?

T. Berry Brazelton has been recognized as an expert on parenting and child development. I used to eagerly wait to read his newspaper column that offered concise advice on child care. In this book, Brazelton covers the milestones of typical development and he discusses common concerns of this age range. Although this book focuses on emotional and behavioral development, his background in pediatrics allows him to write about physical development as well. You will learn, in detail, what to expect of young children up to age three in this comprehensive book.

By T. Berry Brazelton, Joshua D. Sparrow,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Touchpoints-Birth to Three as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

All over the U.S. and in over twenty countries around the world, Touchpoints has become required reading for anxious parents of babies and small children. T. Berry Brazelton's great empathy for the universal concerns of parenthood, and honesty about the complex feelings it engenders, as well as his uncanny insight into the predictable leaps and regressions of early childhood, have comforted and supported families since its publication in 1992. In this completely revised edition Dr. Brazelton introduces new information on physical, emotional, and behavioural development. He also addresses the new stresses on families and fears of children, with a fresh…


Book cover of The Power of Play: How Spontaneous, Imaginative Activities Lead to Happier, Healthier Children

Joni Levine Why did I love this book?

I had a hard time choosing between this book and Elkind’s bestseller, The Hurried Child. David Elkind has a special gift for understanding both the importance and magic of early childhood. Current research reinforces the critical importance of play in young children’s growth and development. The author recognizes that young children are currently being raised in environments that are stressing academic achievement and technological advances. He makes a strong case that play is not a luxury but rather a necessity for the healthy development of toddlers and all young children.

By David Elkind,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Power of Play as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Best-selling author and distinguished childcare expert David Elkind takes on the "over-scheduled" child syndrome, providing parents with an understanding of, and appreciation for the powerful role of "play" in healthy emotional and academic development. In modern childhood, free, unstructured play time is being replaced more and more by academics, lessons, competitive sports and passive entertainment. While parents may worry that their children will be at a disadvantage if they are not engaged in constant learning, child development expert David Elkind reassures us that imaginative play goes far to prepare children for academic and social success, perhaps further than the panoply…


Book cover of Mind in the Making: The Seven Essential Life Skills Every Child Needs

Joni Levine Why did I love this book?

There are many opinions and schools of thought on how to best raise and care for young children. The author lays her discussion firmly on the solid foundation of research. Beyond academic skills or ability, Ms. Galinsky identifies seven skills that will lead to the child’s success in the future. Skills such as making connections or critical thinking need to be fostered for a child to do well in school as well as in interactions and endeavors later in life. This book is sometimes used as a text in college classes. And yet, parents will easily find this content accessible with concrete ideas to develop these essential life skills.

By Ellen Galinsky,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Mind in the Making as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Ellen Galinsky has spent her entire career studying early childhood development, first at Vassar College, then for twenty-five years at the Bank Street College of Education, and for the past twenty years as the founder and now president of the Families and Work Institute. What she has found is that there is an enormous gap between what researchers have discovered and what parents have been told about those discoveries. "Minds in the Making" bridges this gap, bringing the work of more than a hundred scientists into a form that parents everywhere can use. Galinsky has divided this information into the…


Book cover of From Neurons to Neighborhoods: The Science of Early Childhood Development

Joni Levine Why did I love this book?

What are the biggest impacts on a child’s development? This book takes a close look at both nature (genetics) and nurture (the environment). I find that this book is an informative review of what we have learned about early brain development. The influence of experience and culture on the developing child is looked at through the development of the brain. After reading this book, you will have a renewed understanding of just how critical the early years of child development are. It is easy to see that this is a time of extraordinary growth and change and your role as a parent or educator takes significant meaning and implications.

By Deborah A. Phillips (editor), Jack P. Shonkoff (editor),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked From Neurons to Neighborhoods as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

How we raise young children is one of today's most highly personalized and sharply politicized issues, in part because each of us can claim some level of "expertise." The debate has intensified as discoveries about our development-in the womb and in the first months and years-have reached the popular media.

How can we use our burgeoning knowledge to assure the well-being of all young children, for their own sake as well as for the sake of our nation? Drawing from new findings, this book presents important conclusions about nature-versus-nurture, the impact of being born into a working family, the effect…


Book cover of Understanding Toddlers & Twos: Winning Ways for Early Childhood Professionals

Joni Levine Why did I love this book?

This book is part of a trilogy that offers valuable insights and strategies for caring for young children. Readers will gain an understanding of toddler development and behavior. The author also covers techniques for promoting positive connections with adults and responding to the child’s individual needs.

By Gigi Schweikert,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Understanding Toddlers & Twos as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Understand the complex yet amazing toddler years as you help children develop new skills One- and two-year-olds are in the midst of developing and exploring their skills to communicate, move purposely, and assert their independence and individuality. As their teacher, you have great patience, energy, and creativity as you work with their on the go approach to life. Use this professional development workbook to help navigate the complex toddler years and gain a better understanding of their growth and development. You will improve your interactions with them by responding to their individual needs, find out how to create a routine…


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Me and The Times: My wild ride from elevator operator to New York Times editor, columnist, and change agent (1967-97)

By Robert W. Stock,

Book cover of Me and The Times: My wild ride from elevator operator to New York Times editor, columnist, and change agent (1967-97)

Robert W. Stock Author Of Me and The Times: My wild ride from elevator operator to New York Times editor, columnist, and change agent (1967-97)

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Journalist Punster Family-phile Ex-jock Friend

Robert's 3 favorite reads in 2023

What is my book about?

Me and The Times offers a fresh perspective on those pre-internet days when the Sunday sections of The New York Times shaped the country’s political and cultural conversation. Starting in 1967, Robert Stock edited seven of those sections over 30 years, innovating and troublemaking all the way.

His memoir is rich in anecdotes and admissions. At The Times, Jan Morris threw a manuscript at him, he shared an embarrassing moment with Jacqueline Kennedy, and he got the paper sued for $1 million. Along the way, Rod Laver challenged Stock to a tennis match, he played a clarinet duet with superstar Richard Stoltzman, and he shared a Mafia-spiced brunch with Jerry Orbach.

Me and The Times: My wild ride from elevator operator to New York Times editor, columnist, and change agent (1967-97)

By Robert W. Stock,

What is this book about?

An intimate, unvarnished look at the making of the Sunday sections of The New York Times in their pre-internet heyday, back when they shaped the country’s political and cultural conversation.

Over 30 years, Robert Stock edited seven of those sections, innovating, and troublemaking all the way – getting the paper sued for $1 million, locking horns with legendary editors Abe Rosenthal and Max Frankel, and publishing articles that sent the publisher Punch Sulzberger up the wall.

On one level, his memoir tracks Stock’s amazing career from his elevator job at Bonwit Teller to his accidental entry into journalism to his…


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Interested in toddlers, child development, and nature versus nurture?

10,000+ authors have recommended their favorite books and what they love about them. Browse their picks for the best books about toddlers, child development, and nature versus nurture.

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Nature Versus Nurture Explore 27 books about nature versus nurture