Five books about care routines to share with your toddler

Hair love by Matthew Cherry 

A book based on an Oscar winning short film about a dad and daughter and the love parents show through care routines.  

Zuri knows her hair is beautiful and in this book it’s Daddy’s turn to style it for the first time, but he can’t get it right at first and Zuri is sad. 

Zuri shows Daddy an online tutorial which her Mummy has made, and he has another go while watching it together. Then they're ready to go and visit Mummy who is in hospital. 

This story is full of love – not just love between parents and children but also Zuri’s love for her natural hair.  

Why should I brush my teeth? by Katie Daynes 

This lift-the-flap book answers some questions about brushing teeth – including how animals look after their teeth.  

When you share this book with your toddler, you might just want to share some key points – the book has lots of questions and answers and your toddler might not be interested in all of them just yet.  

Wash, wash, wash by Pamela Chanko 

This is a simple book about washing hands, with clear pictures and rhythmic text.  

The text could even become a hand washing song that you sing to encourage your toddler to wash their hands.  

“Wash, wash wash your hands. Turn the water on..” 

Bedtime bonnet by Nancy Redd 

This story tells us about how everyone in the family gets their hair ready for bed and celebrates lots of different Black night-time hair traditions.  

Everyone is getting ready for bed, Mama puts on her scarf, Daddy his cap and sister uses a wrap to cover her hair. But the little girl’s bonnet is missing, she can’t go to bed without her bonnet – so she asks her family to help her find it.  

In the morning, when everyone wakes up their hair comes down – this story could be a great way to start a conversation about your bedtime and morning routine – how does everyone in your family get ready?  

Time to get dressed by Penny Tassoni 

Getting dressed is not easy at first; this book has clear illustrations and simple words so is a great way to start a conversation with your toddler about the parts of getting dressed they can do – and when they need some help.  

You could chat about favourite clothes and things that are tricky to put on – and there are some getting dressed tips at the end of the book, too!  

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