You write, "my sister always buys [your daughter] books," but why can't you do so also? I'm going to continue to reply to questions like yours with a similar answer every time I see an inquiry such as yours posted, because I think it is of such importance that parents (like you) get this message. Please, please, please, I beg you to consider buying something other than toys for your daughter. In my mind you'll be wasting your money on a toy she'll outgrow in months if not years or tire of in weeks if not days. I urge you to invest your money in something that will benefit her for the rest of her life. Buy her books! Think about the impact books can have on her life. Think of the special opportunity you can have sharing stories with her. Imagine reading to her and the joyful moments you can have together, building the bonds of love and trust while establishing a foundation for her future. The single best way to help a child become a reader (for life) is to read to her. Forget the fact that she may not be a very good reader yet; she will with your help. It's not only your job but it's your responsibility to help her become a reader. There are thousands of books that you might choose for her, but let me first recommend some classic chapter books you can read with her at bedtime. I caution you that some of the books I've offered here deal with themes that you may not wish to present to her at this time. I will leave you to judge that, but it does not curb me from recommending these titles to you, as they remain great works of children's literature.
(In no particular order)
"Island of the Blue Dolphins" by Scott O'Dell
"Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing" by Judy Blume
"Freckle Juice" by Judy Blume (she's written lots of other great stuff, but these two books are a good start)
"Mr. Popper's Penguins" by Richard and Florence Atwater
"James and the Giant Peach" by Roald Dahl
"The BFG" by Roald Dahl (really, you really can't go wrong with just about anything Dahl has written)
"Ramona Quimby, Age 8" by Beverly Cleary (see note for Dahl above)
"Sarah, Plain and Tall" by Patricia MacLachlan
"How to Eat Fried Worms" by Thomas Rockwell
"Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nihm" by Robert C. O'Brien
The Indian in the Cupboard" by Lynn Reid Banks (don't miss the other books in the series)
"The Boxcar Children" by Gertrude Chandler Warner (there are now a collection of Boxcar books)
"Shiloh" by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
"Just So Stories" by Rudyard Kipling
"Phantom Tollboth" by Norton Juster
"Hatchet" by Gary Paulsen
"The Chronicles of Narnia" by C.S. Lewis
"The Whipping Boy" by Sid Fleischman
"Old Yeller" by Fred Gipson
"Where the Red Fern Grows" by Wilson Rawls (you're not human if you don't cry after reading this book)
"Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls (my favorite fiction book growing up; my fifth grade teacher read it to my class and I fell in love with it immediately)
"The Chocolate Touch" by Patrick Skene Catling
"Stuart Little" by E.B. White
"Ella Enchanted" by Gail Carson Levine
"The Great Brain" by John D. Fitzgerald
"Bunnicula" by Deborah and James Howe
"Stone Fox" by John Reynolds Gardiner
"Chocolate Fever" by Robert Kimmel Smith (hysterical)
That's a short list of chapter books that I would recommend. There are plenty more that I can suggest. What follows are some contemporary (with a couple of exceptions) picture books that I don't want you to miss. Without exception, they are great read-alouds:
"The Long-Nosed Pig" by Keith Faulkner; ill. by Jonathan Lambert
"The Wide-Mouthed Frog" by Keith Faulkner; ill. by Jonathan Lambert
"Shark in the Park" by Nick Sharrat
"Bark, George" by Jules Feiffer
"T is for Terrible" by Peter McCarty
"Some Dogs Do" by Jez Alborough
"Duck in the Truck" by Jez Alborough
"Louella Mae, She's Run Away" by Karen Beaumont Alarcón; ill. by Rosanne Litzinger
"The Wolf's Chicken Stew" by Keiko Kasza
"Knuffle Bunny" by Mo Willems
"Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus" by Mo Willems
"Leonardo, the Terrible Monster" by Mo Willems
"Edwina, the Dinosaur that Didn't Know She Was Extinct" by Mo Willems
"Sheep in a Jeep" by Nancy Shaw; ill. by Margot Apple
"Caps for Sale" by Esphyr Slobodkina
"Millions of Cats" by Wanda Gag
"How Loud Is a Lion?" by Stella Blackstone; ill. by Clare Beaton
"Clickety Clack" by Robert & Amy Spence; ill. by Margaret Spengler
"One Red Dot" by David A. Carter
"Blue 2" by David A. Carter
"Arrowville" by Geefwee Bodoe
"Duck on a Bike" by David Shannon
"No, David!" by David Shannon
"Ella Sarah Get Dressed" by Margaret Chodos-Irvine
"The Wolves in the Walls" by Neil Gaiman
"Click, Clack Moo: Cows That Type" by Doreen Cronin; ill. by Betsy Lewin
"How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight?" by Jany Yolen; ill. by Mark Teague
"How Do Dinosaurs Get Well Soon?" by Jany Yolen; ill. by Mark Teague
"How Does a Dinosaur Eat His Food?" by Jany Yolen; ill. by Mark Teague
"The Dot" by Peter H. Reynolds
"Ish" by Peter H. Reynolds
"Someday" by Alison McGhee; ill. by Peter H. Reynolds
"The Spider and the Fly" by Mary Howitt; ill. by Tony DiTerlizzi
"Imogene's Antlers" by David Small
"Un Gato y un Perro" by Clare Masurel
"Bear Snores On" by Karma Wilson; ill. by Jane Chapman
"Nana Upstairs & Nana Downstairs" by Tomie dePaola (I can't read this book without crying because it reminds me so much of my oma)
I've read the above picture books numerous times with great cheer (and some tears) from many audiences. Click on my profile and e-mail me. I would be happy to correspond with you and make further suggestions. I'd also encourage to stop by your local library and chat with the children's librarians there to get their recommendations. But when looking for picture books on your own, I advise you to look for books that rhyme or have a rhythmic pattern. Also, pop-up books and lift the flap books can be very attractive to children of any age, (I included some above). Finally, I'd suggest you find a copy of Jim Trelease's "The Read Aloud Handbook" (see link below). It's an invaluable resource for parents. Another good source of information is "Parent's Guide to the Best Books for Children," published by The New York Times and edited by Eden Ross Lipson. In my mind, except for your love and devotion, there is no greater gift you can give to your child than to encourage her to become a passionate and life-long reader. If I could only convince 150 Million other parents in the United States of the same... [sigh]
http://www.trelease-on-reading.com/