These must-have books for babies are perfect for other parents like me!
When my first sone was born, I couldn’t wait to start reading with him.
But I quickly realized that some baby books were better than others.
You can find these must-have books for babies at your local library or purchase through the affiliate links provided for your convenience.
25 Must-Have Books for Babies
Reading to babies is such an important ritual for their growth and development. Reading everyday :
- teaches them about words, talking and communication
- introduces them to building block concepts, such as numbers, letters, colors and shapes
- builds vocabulary, listening and memory skills
- gives babies information about the world around them
For your new baby or for friends who have young ones, here are 25 must-have books for babies!
Big Fat Hen
PreSchool-A large, brilliantly colored rendition of the counting rhyme “one, two, buckle my shoe.”
Baker uses an imaginative array of acrylic colors for his hens-greens, purples, and pinks to contrast with the warm, yellow straw background.
There are lots of things to count, such as sticks, eggs, chicks, and hens.
Goodnight Moon
In this classic of modern children’s literature, beloved by generations of readers and listeners, the quiet poetry of the words and the gentle, lulling illustrations combine to make a perfect book for the end of the day.
Toes, Ears, & Nose! A Lift-the-Flap Book
Baby is bundled in a mountain of clothes!
Peek under the flaps of clothing to find out what’s underneath, and play this fun peekaboo book again and again!
Whose Nose and Toes?
From the author of Whose Baby Am I? and Who Says Woof? comes this adorable, interactive picture book that introduces baby animals and their different noses and feet.
With large, endearing illustrations and a guessing game format, toddlers will love learning to recognize the noses and toes of crocodiles, elephants, rhinos, and more.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
The very hungry caterpillar literally eats his way through the pages of the book.
Only You
Every adult who loves a child knows how deep and rich that love can be.
Little ones are lovable on the outside, with their tiny ears, eyes, and toes.
And they’re lovable for who they are on the inside, as they sing, play, and shout.
Robin Cruise and Caldecott Honor winner Margaret Chodos-Irvine portray a diverse trio of parents and children in this lyrical celebration of a love that makes each child feel like the one and only.
Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes
As everyone knows, nothing is sweeter than tiny baby fingers and chubby baby toes. . . .
From two of the most gifted picture-book creators of our time, is a celebration of baby fingers, baby toes, and the joy they and the babies they belong to bring to everyone, everywhere, all over the world!
Orange Pear Apple Bear (Classic Board Books)
This book has spare text and sweet illustrations but contains only five words: apple, pear, orange, bear–and there.
Emily Gravett creates clever variations on this theme by rearranging the words — on one spread, a brown bear juggles an orange, apple, and pear; on another spread, there is an orange-colored apple and a pear-shaped bear.
Simple and compelling, children will enjoy reading this book over and over again as they learn many different concepts.
Rosie’s Walk (Classic Board Books)
Rosie’s walk around the farmyard, pursued by the hungry but clumsy fox, has become a beacon in the world of children’s picture books, an ever-popular classic which generations have enjoyed.
Children love the humor of this near-wordless story.
One disaster after another befalls the poor fox while Rosie goes on her way, supremely unaware of the danger behind her.
[easyazon_link identifier=”1442413948″ locale=”US” tag=”generationikid-20″]Ten Tiny Babies (Classic Board Books)[/easyazon_link]
The fun continues until ten tiny babies are exhausted from the day, fast asleep in their beds!
Karen Katz’s bright colors and irresistibly adorable babies are sure to be a hit among the learning-to-count crowd. This board book is perfect for even the youngest of readers.
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?
A big happy frog, a plump purple cat, a handsome blue horse, and a soft yellow duck–all parade across the pages of this delightful book.
Children will immediately respond to Eric Carle’s flat, boldly colored collages.
Combined with Bill Martin’s singsong text, they create unforgettable images of these endearing animals.
Giddy-up! Let’s Ride!
A gloriously painted circus of animals, based on the traditional children’s rhyme. This is the way the knight rides.
Clank clank clanketty-clank This is the way the clown rides. bump Bump bumpetty-bump.
This is the way the cowgirl rides.
Yee-ha! Yee-ha! Knights, princesses, cowgirls or clowns – all sorts of children ride all sorts of steeds in this wonderful book.
Join the ponies, shirehorses, elephants and camels in this and find out how children all over the world ride!
I Kissed the Baby!
News of the baby is buzzing from animal to animal, with each one — fish, bird, squirrel, insect, frog — boasting of seeing, feeding, singing to, tickling, and kissing the tiny little thing.
With bold, graphic black-and-white illustrations, Mary Murphy’s simple, singsong story captures the giddy commotion that only a baby can bring.
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear
Toddlers will want to join in with this familiar chant as Teddy Bear and child touch their toes, jump in the air, find their noses, and more!
Bold, simple illustrations make it easy for toddlers to play along. Its perfect to share with a favorite furry friend.
Sheep in a Jeep
Sheep in a Jeep is well loved by the preschool and early-reader sets for its slapstick story of five sheep (in a jeep) and silly sound effects β especially when the jeep goes splash and thud in the mud!
Nancy Shawβs rollicking rhymes are Seuss-snappy, and Margot Appleβs appealing pencil illustrations are expressive and hilarious.
Ten, Nine, Eight Board Book (Caldecott Collection)
Bedtime! A happy game to lure the most persistent sleep evader.
A warm and reassuring countdown to the land of dreams.
Come Along, Daisy!
Daisy is one darling duckling.
But she does have a problem staying close to Mama Duck during their watery wanderings.
“Come along, Daisy!” is the refrain of this simple, engaging picture book, as Mom tries to keep her distracted daughter under her wing.
Clip-Clop
Cat, Dog, Pig and Duck all want to climb aboard Mr Horse for a ride. But when they get bored with the slow pace, they ask Mr Horse to go faster and faster… But will “faster” lead to disaster?
A delightful rhythmical text with adorable illustrations, which will enthrall every child.
Blue Goose (Classic Board Books)
When Farmer Gray takes a trip, Blue Goose, Red Hen, Yellow Chick and White Duck decide to paint their black-and-white farm.
Red Hen paints the barn red and White Duck paints the fence white.
Then Blue Goose and Yellow Chick pour their paint together to make green for the grass and trees.
By the time Farmer Gray comes back, the whole farm is full of color — what a wonderful surprise!
Incorporating primary and secondary colors, as well as animals, this is a simple and engaging way for young children to learn basic concepts.
The Itsy Bitsy Spider
The spirited itsy bitsy spider has captured the hearts of generations of children in the much-loved nursery rhyme.
Now she’s back β on a new magical journey!
This all-new adventure for the itsy bitsy spider has exciting encounters with a fan, a mouse, a rocking chair, a cat, and a big maple tree.
Pat the Bunny (Touch and Feel Book)
This deluxe, oversized edition of the evergreen classic touch-and-feel book, pat the bunny, features two exclusive spreads not included in the original. It makes the perfect gift for every baby!
Counting Kisses: A Kiss & Read Book
How many kisses does a tired baby need?
Count and kiss along with this bedtime book, now in a sturdy format perfect for the youngest readers.
Like these books for babies? Find even more engaging book lists for kids with more than 100 book-themed reading lists!
What a fantastic list, Jenny!
Thanks. I’m so glad you liked my recommendations. There are so many options sometimes it helps to have a bookworm mom offer up some ideas.
I bought Pat-the-Bunny for a worker a few years back-what a great beginning book. All these books look like very good ones to read to your children and start them on a lifetime of loving to read!
Pat the Bunny is so sweet! My boys loved all of these books. Brown Bear Brown Bear was the absolutely favorite in my house.
I have read a good amount of these books to my son when he was younger. I love Goodnight Moon. This is an awesome list!
I have read Goodnight Moon so much that I can actually recite it! Brown Bear, Brown Bear was my boys’ absolutely favorite though. We’ve gone through multiple copies of it.
I have a 13 month old baby boy and these 25 books will surely be a great collection and to read each night to my baby!
Each book is tried and true in our house. And some of them are still hanging around even though my kids are older now.
I love and have all these books. Thanks for sharing
Hurray for fellow readers! Some people think it’s crazy the “library” I have for my kids but I think it’s so important for them to be surrounded by books.
We have book collection here but we don’t have any of those. Nice selection.
Thanks. I recommend them all. My kids have loved each of them.
Great collection of books…thanks!
Glad you like the list. Sometimes it’s crazy how long it can take to pull them together but goodness knows how much info I have on kids’ books. Might as well share!
We have a few books in this list! π Awesome list π
Glad you like the list. We are such bookworms in my house I’m glad to share my knowledge of kid books. Now if I could just find time to read my own!
It is nice to see a few classics I remember from when I was a kid. π I don’t have my own babies yet, but my best friend just had her fourth last week, so these are great ideas for gifts because there are a few they don’t have yet.
Her fourth! And I thought I had my hands full with two π You really can’t lose with any of these books. They are all tried and true with my own kids.
A great list and we are always hunting new books.
These are all tried and true with my own kiddos. π
Thanks for this article. I will be recommending these books to my younger sisters who have little ones.
They are all tried and true with my own kiddos!
Brings back so many memories of when my children were younger. Reading is so important for children. A home without books is a home without imagination. Thanks for sharing your wonderful list Jenny and thanks for linking up today!
So glad to link up. I actually miss some of these books… my boys have gotten too old but we do manage to still read a couple of them.
I found you through Prowess and Pearls today. Love the post, and love love love children’s books. We love Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You? and There’s a Wocket in my Pocket both by Dr. Suess π And if you are a Christian, the Jesus STory Book Bible is a MUST HAVE!! π
Thanks, and feel free to drop my blog at http://wonderousblunderous.blogspot.com
Those are really good ones, too! For some reason, the really young Dr. Suess never really were hits with my boys. But now they can’t get enough of the stories for older kids π
I love so many of these books. Thanks for sharing at The Children’s Bookshelf!
I’m happy to share what has worked with my kids and what hasn’t. These really have been hits and some are still read in my house π
Love this list! You can never have too many picture books!
I agree. And these were all hits with my kids. In fact, we do read a couple of them still!
I don’t see Love You Forever on your list. You must check it out. I’m going to have twin grandchildren in October. I get to start all over again!
Linda
Love You Forever is a wonderful book. It was just too old for my boys when they were babies. They didn’t get into that book until they were older.
Reading is such a great way to spend time together! Thanks for linking up at Family Fun Friday. Sincerely,
Monica
http://happyandblessedhome.com
Glad to share on your linky. And see you tomorrow.
We have/had many of these!
Good. They are such wonderful books π
Love the book list … will bookmark this for a future reference (hard to find good books)
This is a GREAT list, a lot of our favs are on here, but there are a bunch I have never seen!!
Such a great list! We will definitely be adding a few of these to our home library! Thanks for taking the time to put this together!
We loved having a baby library… and now my boys have a whole shelf of picture books we enjoy reading every night.