Books for Babies and Toddlers

Reading to babies and young toddlers is a great way to kickstart their early literacy and early learning. At this stage, pick books that engage babies and toddler with interactive elements, bright colours and simple language. Pick books with things to touch and feel, things to lift and turn, bright colours with lots of contrast, simple rhymes and fewer words. This list has a variety of books to capture the attention of babies and toddler.

Updated May 29, 2025
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Brown bear, brown bear, what do you see?
Martin, Bill
Paper Book
Exuberantly coloured artwork and favourite animals make this rhythmic story the perfect introduction to looking and learning about colours. Each spread leads seamlessly into the next and young children will delight in Eric's colourful collage animals and simple repetitive language.
Plant the tiny seed
Matheson, Christie.
Paper Book
How do you make a garden grow In this playful companion to the popular Tap the Magic Tree and Touch the Brightest Star, you will see how tiny seeds bloom into beautiful flowers. And by tapping, clapping, waving, and more, young readers can join in the action! Christie Matheson...
Dear zoo
Campbell, Rod
Paper Book
Lift the flaps and join in the fun with Rod Campbell's classic lift-the-flap book, Dear Zoo, with a host of favourite zoo animals and sturdy card flaps to lift on every page. 'I wrote to the zoo to send me a pet . . .'Young children will love lifting the flaps to discover the animals the zoo has...
One mole digging a hole
Donaldson, Julia.
Paper Book
All the animals are busy lending a hand in the garden in this lively numbers book! The parrots are pulling up carrots, the bears are picking pears and a swarm of bees are pruning the trees with their miniature shears. Julia Donaldson's whimsical rhymes and Nick Sharratt's hilarious...
Peck, peck, peck
Cousins, Lucy
Paper Book
A "hole" lot of fun in a board book, from the creator of Maisy!The stunning Peck Peck Peck from multi-award-winning Lucy Cousins is now available as a board book, with colour so exuberant it leaps right off the page.Today my daddy said to me, "It's time you learnt to peck a tree." Little Woodpecker...
Moon : a peek-through picture book
Hegarty, Patricia
Paper Book
From the much-loved children's series that began with Tree: A Peek-Through Picture Book comes an informative book with peek-through holes that show the moon's different phases with each turn of the page. Over deserts and forests, Arctic tundra and tropical beaches, the moon...
I love you like yellow
Beaty, Andrea
Paper Book
I love you like yellow. I love you like green. Like flowery orchid and sweet tangerine . . . Love comes in many forms. It can feel tart as lemonade, or sweet as sugar cookies. Slow as a lazy morning, or fast as a relay race. Love is there...
That's not my tractor-- : its engine is too bumpy
Watt, Fiona.
Paper Book
A delightful touchy-feely book with simple, repetitive text.Age: Birth+ Discover tractors with squashy wheels, shiny headlights and much more in this exciting addition to the much-loved That's not my... series. Babies love the best-selling That's not my... books with their bold...
Too many carrots
Hudson, Katy
Paper Book
Rabbit loves carrots - and that's a big problem! In this phenomenal bestseller, Rabbit loves carrots a little too much. In fact, his carrots are crowding him out of his cozy burrow. When his friends offer to help, they're just asking for trouble - a lot of trouble!
Pig the pug
Blabey, Aaron
Paper Book
Pig was a Pug and Im sorry to say, he was greedy and selfish in most every way. Pig is the greediest Pug in the world. He is ill-tempered, rude and unreasonable. When Pig the Pug is asked to share his toys, something unexpected happens ... Hopefully Pig has learned a lesson!
You are light
Becker, Aaron
Paper Book
With a wondrously simple die-cut book, the Caldecott Honor-winning creator of the Journey trilogy brings his talents further into the light. This is the light that brings the day. Open this beautiful book to find a graphic yellow sun surrounded by a halo of...
Book of opposites
Jeffers Oliver.
Paper Book
A spectacular concept board book from world-renowned artist Oliver Jeffers, based on his million-copy selling, global phenomenon Here We Are! Inspired by the exceptional, award-winning global picture-book phenomenon, Here We Are, comes this irresistible introduction to...
We sang you home
Van Camp, Richard.
Paper Book
A celebration of the bond between parent and child, this is the perfect song to share with your little ones. In this sweet and lyrical picture book from the creators of the bestselling Little You, gentle rhythmic text captures the wonder new parents feel as they welcome baby into the...
That's not my fire engine...
Watt, Fiona.
Paper Book
An exciting new title in the best-selling touchy-feely series. Turn the pages to discover the fire engines with their bumpy doors, squashy wheels and sparkly lights as they speed through the pages of this sturdy board book. Babies and toddlers will delight in the bold illustrations and...
8 little planets
Ferrie, Chris.
Paper Book
A delightfully fun, fact-filled planetary tale from the creator of the Baby University series! Travel around the solar system and celebrate what makes each planet unique! From Neptune to Mercury and all the planets in between, each one is different and each one is happy to...
Construction site
McDonald, Jill
Paper Book
Learn from home and explore the world with these fun and easy board books! Fans of Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site will love this vehicle-filled adventure in the hit Hello, World! board book series. Toddlers can learn all about the busy world of a construction site,...
Numbers
Paper Book
See, Touch, Feel: Numbers is a fantastic first concepts book from Priddy Books. This new compact board book format introduces numbers to very young children in a fun and simple way.Specially designed to stimulate toddlers and encourage the development of motor skills, this engaging board book is...

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