After going to the circus, children want to hear this book again and again. The book is a gimmick, toy or game. We always encourage parents to by these books - the library copies can be dilapidated pretty quickly, and children always want the flaps to be intact. The children are fascinated by the monkey who slides on a string to find his favorite fruit. A child has a real interest in the subject.
Children develop an early fascination for trucks, fire engines, trains and other large machines.
Freight Train by Donald Crews is one such book. I use Big Wheels by Anne Rockwell in my Toddler 11 group and am always amazed that several of the toddlers can give me the names of all the big-wheeled vehicles in the book. The Eye Openers series is great nonfiction for children two and up. It includes Farm Animals by Philip Dowel, Zoo Animals by Philip Dowel, Jungle Animals by Angela Royston, and Diggers and Dump Trucks by Angela Royston.