Best Board Books For Babies and Toddlers

 

What Are The Best Board Books for Toddlers and Babies?

Your toddler or baby will probably be the best to judge that, but let me help you with a good starting point. Below you will find my favorite board books that have become favorites because my own children and preschool students ( including the toddlers I taught for many years) absolutely LOVED these books. To me, that means that these books earned their spot on this list of best board books. This post was originally written in 2012 when I still had a toddler at home but let me tell you, soon after I returned to the toddler preschool classroom and took every one of these books with me! If you have a book you think deserves to be listed as one of the best board books and it’s not here, leave a comment!

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How Big Is a Pig? by Claire Beaton is a favorite and we think one of the best board books for toddlers. In our house and has been a favorite of both my kids. I love the felt illustrations. The detail amazes me and helps distract me from noticing that I have read it 20 times in as many minutes. The story is great too, it focuses on opposites in the farmyard with a zippy rhyming text. My daughter loves taking this one in the stroller while I run and because it’s a board book I can give it to her without worrying that after a few miles, it’s ripped and ruined.

Love Makes A Family by Sophie Beer is a sweet and simple board book perfect for any toddler and preschool class. The book has a simple sentence on every page about what love is like chasing away monsters, baking a cake, reading together with all the different family structures represented including same-sex and interracial couples. The important part of this book is that every family is shown as a loving norm. There is no long explanation, or any for that matter, or pointing out that this family might be different from yours, just a bunch of families doing their thing. Great for any classroom!

Doggies by Sandra Boynton has been one of my daughter’s favorite books for ages. This author is one of the very best and any of her books could be on this list of best books for toddlers. If you aren’t familiar with it, it’s a simple counting book about dogs, their different barks and one pesky cat. Toddlers love barking along with it so it’s a great book for places where they don’t have to be shushed. It’s not a great one for quiet-only places like a church service.

Moo Baa La La La by Sandra Boynton always makes me laugh. There is something about the facial expressions her animals always have that cracks me up and lets be honest if the book is good for the adult reading it, it’s always a plus. Super bright colors on each page is a massive plus for my baby girl as I flip the pages, and even though she doesn’t get the humor yet she will soon enough, and it’s a book that will grow with her.

Snuggle Puppy by Sandra Boynton.  This author is a preschool parents’ dream, short, easy-to-read melodic book with illustrations to die for. The story is simply a little love song about all the ways the dog loves the puppy. Simple and touching. As an educator, something I love is that these dogs don’t have an obvious race. They don’t even have an obvious gender which is perfect. Regardless of who loves who in your family your child can see you in the dog and themselves in the puppy! I think that is the perfect valentine! My son didn’t warm up to this book right away, but now not only does he love it he is very very specific that only I can read it to him. It’s become a big favorite in our house.

Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown isn’t an innovative choice, but I make babies who love this book. My son could be “Goodnight Mooned” to sleep as a baby if we simply recited the words and while my daughter isn’t at that point yet, she sits happily listening to our voices as we read it to her. I will be the first to admit I didn’t always love this book, but as a mom, it’s been more than a book, it’s been a signal to my son that it’s bedtime and I hope that it becomes part of my daughter’s routine soon too.  The story is simple, it’s not even really a story so much as a baby bunny saying goodnight to all the objects in his room including the moon peeking in the window.

The Very Lonely Firefly by Eric Carle was one of my son’s favorite books to read before bed when he was a toddler, not so much because of the story but because the board book version has flashing lights at the end! The story is all about a firefly looking for another firefly but mistaking all the different lights for a friend. Toddlers love this book because it gives them a chance to be bossy and say “No that’s a flashlight” to the firefly. The text is the right length for little guys but not boring for older kids, and I need to mention the little lights are really quite magical in a dark bedroom, especially if you are in a place that doesn’t have fireflies!

Learn the Alphabet with NorthWest Coast Native Art by Ryan Cranmer (and others) was a fantastic gas station find. Yes I said gas station. I ran in for some diet coke and came out with an alphabet book! This book is amazing, bright beautiful and even though I bought it for my daughter since its bright colors and sturdy pages are perfect for a baby, my almost 4-year-old son adores it. What I love is when he reads it to her. The Native art is gorgeous, and if you are unfamiliar with North West coast art you are in for a treat.

Clap Your Hands by Lorinda Bryan Cauley is a rhythmic rhyming book that suggests movements for the readers ( perhaps when she is sitting or standing she will follow along) with fun and silly pictures of kids mixed with animals doing the actions. What probably appeals to my 3-month-old are the bright colors on the white background and the rhythm of the text. Also, it’s a fun book to have an older sibling join in with and do the actions as you read.

Peekaboo Morning by Rachel Isadora is a lovely little book that is all about the toddler perspective. I like that the child isn’t really clearly a boy so girls can see themselves in this child too, but I am adding this title here because it’s such a great book with a joyful and playful family that every toddler and young preschool class needs to grab it. It comes in a board book, so it’s perfect for your toddler reading nook!

Beddy-bye, Baby: A Touch-and-Feel Book by Karen Katz is a cute bedtime book for the toddler crowd.  I like the rhyming text and that it’s a feel-and-touch book but except for the final page, the textured pieces are too small. Fumbly infant hands have a hard time hitting the small textured sections. Ideally, they would be larger so the child can explore as the adult reads. It’s not a huge complaint, and I love Karen Katz so I would still recommend this book for families with little ones.

Where Is Baby’s Pumpkin?by Karen Katz. This lift-and-flap book is the newest addition to our Karen Katz collection. My son adores these books. I read this in the check out line 3 times, and he asked for more before I could get my groceries in the fridge. I like this book because it’s a cute and gentle introduction to Halloween and all the creatures that go along with it. Also, there are fun textures to many of the illustrations which help keep little hands busy! Edited for 2012: Even though this is a Halloween book both my kids loved it, and it’s never been put away since I bought it in 2009. It’s easily one of my daughter’s all-time favorites. <– edited again for 2023, this title has been saved from being donated or taken to my classroom. It is safely in my daughter’s pile of favorite childhood books.

This Little Chick by John Lawrence is just about the perfect board book for my daughter right now, she didn’t even try to eat it! The rhymes are melodic the text full of animal sounds is spot on for our littlest readers. My son and I had fun reading this old favorite to my daughter for the first time.  The illustrations are fantastic with lots of contrast and are the perfect length for a quick snuggle and read for wiggly babies eager to move.

Cowboy Small by Lois Lenski is a cute cowboy book for the younger set. We have the board book edition, and it’s been loved for a long time at our house, although since our return from the Calgary Stampede, it’s been read constantly. The text is simple, the drawings are charming, and the book covers all the basics of what a cowboy does day and night. My son loves that Cowboy small has a guitar and is pretty fond of the part when he gets bucked off a bronco.

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr. is a book that can go with a baby from infancy through toddlerhood and into the preschool years. The bold colors of the illustrations by Eric Carle are perfect for catching infants’ attention and will continue to grab it through the years. With the turn of each page, the reader is left wondering what’s next, and if the reader is my son he will cut you off to tell you what’s coming next before you have a chance to turn the page. Other titles in the series, including; Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear?, Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What Do You See?, and Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See? but this one is my very favorite! My daughter sits looking at these pages instead of simply trying to eat the book, which is an excellent review from a 6-month-old! For great brown bear brown bear activities <– click that link!

Chicka Chicka ABC by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault is a fantastic board book and a shorter version of the longer book. My son loves this book, and it’s the perfect amount of text for a toddler, the illustrations by Lois Ehlert are so bright and bold that even very young babies will respond to it! A must-have for all bookshelves.

Everywhere Babies by Susan Meyers and Marla Frazee. This book celebrates all sorts of babies and all the every day things babies do.  My daughter points out all the babies on each page as I read the rhyming text. The illustrations are full of depictions of all sorts of families showering their smallest, most precious members with love. What I adore about the diversity of the illustrations is that readers are left to put whatever assumption they wish on the families in the book. What I assumed were two mommies my husband thought was a husband and wife, I thought a lady was a grandma, and my son said it was just an older mom. This is why I love this book, my daughter doesn’t see why this message is outstanding, what she does see is all sorts of happy babies in all sorts of families being the norm and this is the world we want her to know.

Good Night, Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann is simply one of my favorite books ever. I love it and love that my daughter doesn’t fuss when I read it to her because it was a special book for my son when he was little, and it’s a book he will still curl up and read quietly with us, making it fun cuddle time for all three of us. If you aren’t familiar with this book, it’s all about a sneaky gorilla who unlocks all the animals at the zoo, and they quietly follow the zookeeper home and climb into bed with him until his wife wakes up! I love this book cause I relate to the zookeeper’s wife. When I wake up, there is always a sneaky little “gorilla” in my bed!

One Duck Stuck by Phyllis Root looks like an everyday book, but inside you will find a brilliantly repetitive storyline that promotes teamwork, and mathematical skills! See, a duck gets stuck in the muck and while others are eager to help the duck isn’t unstuck until they all work together. My class was nuts about this book a few years ago; my son has greatly enjoyed it since infancy. Don’t pass this book up.

Dinosaur Roar! Board Book by Paul and  Henrietta Stickland and is a board book that I’ve read often enough that I don’t need to look at the book. The premise is simple, using 2 different dinosaurs every page illustrates a pair of opposites. Toddlers and young preschoolers adore this book, and I can’t blame them. It’s adorable and a great tool for teaching! My son loves how funny the illustrations are and enjoys the rigidity of the opposite concepts.

Leaves by David Ezra Stein is a sweet book about a young bear who doesn’t understand what is happening when he sees leaves falling from the trees. He even tries to put them back on but it doesn’t work.  Eventually, he lays down for a nap and hibernates until Spring when he happily notices that new tiny leaves are budding on the trees. Both my kids loved this book. I got it out of the library for my toddler who loved it, and while reading it to her, I had to start over so her almost 6-year-old brother could listen from the start. We each took our own things from it, my daughter has been noticing the changes of Fall for the first time, just like the bear in the story. My son took the chance to tell me all about hibernation and everything he knows about it. I thought it was bittersweet and related to how quickly the years seem to pass and how quickly my little bears are changing too. A really lovely book!

 The Busy Little Squirrel by Nancy Tafuri is an excellent book for babies and toddlers. The readers follow with a squirrel as she gathers nuts, seeds, and berries for the winter. As she hunts for her treasure, she encounters many animals who all make their respective sounds and asks her to play. Of course, she is too busy and continues on.  Even though the idea is not groundbreaking, I like that this book can be used to introduce animal sounds without simply sitting down with let’s say flashcards and teaching them to your toddler. Even if you have no real animals nearby books like this one are a great way to teach very young kids authentically.

Bye-Bye Time by Elizabeth Verdick is an excellent book for toddlers who are anxious about separation.  It goes through drop-off time at school between a little girl and her dad. When I worked in a childcare setting, bye-bye time was a massive source of anxiety for many students. Books like this are such great tools for parents and teachers. There are wonderful tips at the back that in my experience are all great advice. This book is just one of many by the same author that is all beautiful tools for families and classrooms. My favorites are Teeth Are Not for Biting and Words are Not for Hurting.

Owl Babies by Martin Waddell was an instant hit with my son. I knew it would be, much like little Bill the smallest of the three baby owls my son is fond of saying “I want my mommy.” The three birds are distraught when they discover mama owl is not there. I love how they huddle together anxious about where mama went, but when she returns, they are calm and at ease. The illustrations of the owls are so expressive, which with very few facial features is impressive. Patrick Benson did a wonderful job bringing all three owls’ personalities out visually, as well as making the setting ominous without being frightening to young readers. Great book!

Apple Farmer Annie by Monica Wellington is a simpler version of the full-size Apple Farmer Annie. The board book follows Annie who is an apple farmer and what she does with the apples she grows. Baking, cooking and selling the apples at the farmer’s market. I have always loved this book because when you ask a child who a farmer is, I bet you they will say it’s a man who lives on a farm. There are no mentions of men, husbands, or fathers it’s just Annie, the apple farmer. I LOVE it.

 

For even more  of the best board books check out these book lists:

50+ Books for 2-Year-Olds ( updated) 

Diverse Books For Toddlers 

The Best Board Books for Toddlers At Christmas 

Halloween Board Books