Board books are a baby’s best friend – perfect for story time, bedtime and even teething (chomp, chomp)! But with so many baby books to choose from, it can be hard to know where to start.
Whether you’re building your own baby’s library or gifting a future baby with reading material, we’ve rounded up 45 tried-and-true favorites with the perfect blend of education and entertainment. More importantly, they’re so much fun to read aloud, which is exciting when you read them over and over…
You are reading: Best books for infants and toddlers
i kissed the baby, by mary murphy
Newborn babies respond best to bold, black-and-white illustrations…just like the ones you’ll find in this baby board book. i kissed the baby will catch her eye as she charms you with her sweet new baby welcome story.
moo baa la la la!, by sandra boynton
You can’t go wrong adding any of Sandra Boynton’s board books to your baby’s library. we love this exploration of animal sounds, an important part of every baby’s vocabulary.
goodnight moon, by margaret wise brown, illustrated by clement hurd
there’s a reason everyone’s heard of goodnight moon. classic margaret wise brown makes bedtime feel safe and cozy by wishing every object in the room goodnight.
pat the zoo, from lv studio
Babies love to read with their fingers, so pat the zoo invites babies to touch and feel different animals, from a furry panda to a bumpy turtle.
knuffle bunny, by mo willems
Baby loses her precious stuffed animal, but how can she explain the problem without words? Fortunately, Mom understands what she’s trying to say in this classic baby board book.
guess how much i love you?, by sam mcbratney, illustrated by anita jeram
In this baby board book, a bunny and his father express their love for each other to the moon and back.
grizzly, grizzly, what do you see?, by bill martin jr. & eric carle
Each page of this baby board book asks the question “what do you see?” before revealing a new animal, from a red bird to a purple cat. rhythmic repetition and vivid colors make this a perfect book for a baby’s first year.
i love you as big as the world, by david van buren, illustrated by tim warnes
It’s almost impossible to explain the depth of our love to our little ones, but this baby board book comes close.
time to go to bed, by mem fox, illustrated by jane dyer
Each page of this baby book features a young animal snuggling up to its mom for a good night’s sleep. you’ll both be yawning by the end!
the very hungry caterpillar, by eric carle
This board book begins innocently enough with a little caterpillar devouring an apple on Monday. by Saturday it made its way to the cupcakes!
counting kisses, by karen katz
learn the parts of the body and count from 10 to 1 while receiving lots of kisses? that’s win-win.
good night gorilla, by peggy rathman
A cunning gorilla steals the keys from the zookeeper and lets all the animals out of their cages. they will both laugh when mrs. The zookeeper discovers the animals taking a nap in her house.
Look, Look!, by Peter Linenthal 
Babies aren’t born seeing color right away, but they are drawn to high-contrast images. Step into this classic baby book! Your little one will love looking at the black and white illustrations designed for his little eyes.
bathroom! bathtub! bath!, by douglas florian, illustrated by christiane engel
bathtime is one of the most trusted rituals of baby’s days! and written in verse, this baby board book will get your baby excited about foam.
go dog, go, p.s. this
A classic exploration of opposites through hilarious dogs that are big and small, fast and slow, and all headed to one big dog party!
babies everywhere, by susan meyers, illustrated by marla frazee
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Babies are fed, clothed and loved in this baby board book that celebrates babies everywhere.
head to toe, by eric carle
Before your baby can even speak, they’ll be able to mimic animal gestures in this baby board book, turning their heads like a penguin or shrugging like a buffalo. (check out more interactive books for kids!)
happy baby sad baby, by leslie patricelli
hugging the kitten makes the baby happy. falling makes the baby sad. Simple examples throughout the board book teach babies about their feelings…and that’s a good thing!
little blue truck, by alice schertle, illustrated by jill mcelmurry
A brave little truck helps a dump truck that’s stuck in the mud in a much-loved baby board book featuring big values and big trucks!
clip-clop, by nicola smee
In this baby board book, a horse graciously offers a ride to a dog, a cat, a pig, and a duck…but they better hold on tight!
peek-a-who, by nina laden
every baby loves a good game of peekaboo, so try it out in board book form as you spy on an owl saying “who” and a train going “choo choo.”
good night, good night, construction site, by sherri duskey rinker, illustrated by tom lichtenheld
For little ones who like things that go (and who doesn’t?), this is the perfect board book for bedtime.
baby faces, by margaret miller
Few things fascinate a baby more than the faces of other babies! Explain the parts of the face and the meanings of different expressions as you explore real-life baby pictures together.
eyes, nose, fingers and toes, by judy hindley and brita granstorm
This board book does more than just label the main parts of a child’s face and body: it explains what they are for, as in “a nose is for blowing, a nose is for sniffing, a nose has holes for sniffing with.”
the book about going to bed, by sandra boynton
Even hippos have bedtime routines, at least in this baby board book, which sees various animals brushing their teeth and changing into pajamas before rocking off to sleep in their cozy boat.
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i like myself, by karen beaumont, illustrated by david catrow
It’s never too early to build self-esteem, and I like it. It does a great job of showing how our differences make us uniquely awesome.
my car, by byron barton
sam proudly shows off the parts of his car and how he takes care of it with gas, oil and washing. We love the cartoonish illustrations of Byron Barton and the little ones are absolutely fascinated to discover how things work.
dim sum for everyone, by grace lin
“dishes in carts” will make you hungry and want to explore the culture that gave us such delicious delicacies.
baby kisses, by jen arena, illustrated by blanca gomez
If you need an excuse to shower your baby with kisses, Baby Kisses is here for you.
where is the green sheep?, by mem fox & judy horacek
On a quest to find the elusive green sheep, we meet the bobbing sheep, the scared brave sheep, and many others in this extremely silly rhyming baby board book.
where is the baby’s belly button?, by karen katz
Author Karen Katz is a teacher of the flap-up book, and this baby favorite teaches body parts from head to toe.
please baby please for spike lee & tonya lewis lee
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Do you have trouble getting your little one to sleep or hear? spike lee feels your pain in this sweet baby book he wrote with his wife…it’s the perfect way to prepare for the years to come!
jamberry, by bruce degen
jazz rhythms and rhymes make this story about a boy and his bear on a berry hunt read like pure poetry.
where is spot?, by eric hill
It’s time for Spot’s dinner, but he’s hiding, so we’ll have to search the house! the baby can help lift the flaps of all the rooms until they find our puppy.
mr. brown can moo! can you?, by dr.
dr. seuss gifted us with many classic baby books, from green eggs and ham to the lorax. we love mr. brown to read to babies because it’s all about making fun sounds like “buzz buzz” and “boom boom.”
quick as a cricket, by audrey wood, illustrated by don wood
A young child compares himself to animals with different characteristics, such as “loud as a lion” and “silent as a clam”, because humans are complex and amazing!
the runaway bunny, by margaret wise brown, illustrated by clement hurd
a bunny learns that no matter where she goes, mommy will always be there in this imaginative fantasy.
dear zoo, by rod campbell
Can the zoo help us find the perfect pet in this flap book for a baby’s first year? After several failures, including an elephant that’s too big and a snake that’s too scary, a perfect puppy finally arrives.
more, more, more the baby said: three love stories, by vera b. williams
Celebrating family love in its many forms, the three stories in this classic board book are as sweet as a baby’s smile.
in the tall tall grass by denise fleming
“crunch, munch, caterpillars eat lunch”, this adventure into nature begins with just a few well-chosen words on each page and gorgeous illustrations.
a good day, by kevin henkes
Not every day starts off perfectly, but hang in there and you can turn it around. That’s the moral of this beautiful baby book by Kevin Henkes.
whose toes are those?, by jabari asim, illustrated by leuyen pham
This celebration of baby’s sweet toes will have little ones laughing with its delightful rhymes.
baby signs, by joy allen
Little ones can express themselves with gestures before they can talk, so teaching your baby sign language can be a helpful way to communicate with your child early on. This book breaks down some essential signs to help the whole family learn!
we love each other: a book about family, illustrated by luisa uribe
An ode to families of all configurations, this baby book is the perfect way to help your sweetie get to know their own family (book includes mirror and blank family tree), while also it opens your eyes to the world beyond your home.
welcome: a newcomer’s guide to mo willems, by mo willems
chances are, in a few years, you’ll be introduced to the older children’s books that have made mo willems such a hit with young readers (and their parents!). Meanwhile, this baby-focused tome gives families a taste of Willems’ humorous writing style (with a touch of sweetness, too!).
more books for a baby’s first year:
- interactive children’s books
- big thrills books for young children
- books about animals
- children’s books about race & equality
- the best list of books for babies and toddlers
another essential for a baby’s first year? snoobear! Snoobear plays the white noise that babies and toddlers love and doubles as a lovable cuddly toy. learn more about snoobear here.
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Disclaimer: The information on our site is not medical advice for any specific person or condition. it is only intended as general information. If you have medical questions and concerns about your child or yourself, contact your health care provider.
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