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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Little raindrop : discover an amazing story from the natural world
Joyce, Melanie.
Paper Book
Brown bear, brown bear, what do you see?
Martin, Bill
Paper Book
With more than two million copies sold, Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? has opened up a world of learning to a generation of children. For this edition, created for the twenty-fifth anniversay in 1992, Bill Martin, Jr., restored his text to its original wording. And Eric Carle...
Animal colors
Paper Book
Get ready to learn all about colors in this adorable touch-and-feel book full of cool vehicles and silly animals in every shade of the rainbow! Bumpy format creates a tactile experience that little kids love! Fun images with bright, contrasting colors are perfect...
Your nose! : a wild little love song
Boynton, Sandra.
Paper Book
You can tell everybody I told you so. It's the greatest little nose I know. Starring a little fox child and a big fox parent, here's a loving ode to terrific noses of all kinds. Your Nose! is a year-round valentine in the tradition...
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 : a lift-the-flap book
Campbell, Rod
Paper Book
Rod Campbell's classic lift-the-flap book Dear Zoo has been a firm favorite with toddlers and parents alike ever since it was first published in 1982. Young readers love lifting the flaps to discover the animals the zoo has sent--a monkey, a lion, and even an elephant! But...
My hair
Cox, Danielle Murrell.
Paper Book
A fresh and fun celebration of natural hair for babies and toddlers! My Hair is the perfect introduction to an array of beautiful hairstyles for tiny naturalistas-in-training! Known for her popular Black Queens and Black Kings coloring books for adults, Danielle...
Learning with Llama Llama : colors
Morrow, J. T.
Paper Book
Anna Dewdney's New York Times bestselling series continues with a new Llama Llama concept board book about understanding colors through food! Llama Llama wants to paint but all he has is his lunch! Join the fun as he gets creative with his meal and makes a portrait of our...
Peck, peck, peck
Cousins, Lucy.
Paper Book
"Not only has irresistible charm but in Cousins's signature fashion, there's a lot to learn. . . . There's a world of interactive enjoyment here." -- Booklist (starred review) Little woodpecker has just learned to peck. He's having so much fun that he peck-peck-pecks right...
Moon : a peek-through board 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...
A day full of feelings : a book of emotions and opposites
Slater, Nicola.
Paper Book
New in the Beginning Baby board book series: Join an adorable group of animal friends for a day at school that's full of feelings! Whether they are sad or glad, shy or excited, the friends know it's important to express their many emotions. Welcome to Beginning Baby...
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...
Little Blue Truck's springtime
Schertle, Alice.
Paper Book
Celebrate the beauty of springtime with the #1 New York Times best-selling Little Blue Truck! Beep! Beep! Little Blue Truck is out for a ride with his good friend Toad. The sun is shining and the flowers are blooming--it's a beautiful spring day! Who will they see along the way? ...
Grumpy Monkey says no!
Lang, Suzanne.
Paper Book
In this original board book that tackles a common toddler issue, the bestselling character finds out that "no!" isn't always the best answer. Does Jim Panzee want to go for a walk? No! How about having a playdate? No! Not even to eat a banana? No! Grumpy Monkey just wants to say...
Too many carrots
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!
The thank you book
Smith, Danna.
Paper Book
This joyous board book celebrates the different ways we can say thank you to those around us--from hugging a friend to thanking a teacher, to showing gratitude in even bigger ways! Thanking is easy. Thanking is fun. It shows you are grateful when kind things are...
This is a book of shapes
Kraegel, Kenneth.
Paper Book
The creator of King Arthur's Very Great Grandson and Green Pants switches gears with a slyly silly introduction to shapes--just watch out for the emus! First comes the circle. Then the square and the triangle. Then the . . . emu pushing a pancake wagon down a...
Cranky pug
Blabey, Aaron.
Paper Book
A rollicking, rhyming story about a pug that just won't share! Meet the greediest pug in the world. Pig is ill-tempered, rude, and unreasonable. He lives with Trevor the sausage dog, who would like nothing better than to play with Pig's toys. When Trevor asks Pig to share, Pig...
Sharkblock
Franceschelli, Christopher.
Paper Book
Learn about different shark species and habitats in this fin-tastic addition to the bestselling Block book series In this follow-up to Alphablock, Countablock, Dinoblock, Cityblock, Buildablock, Farmblock, and Loveblock, readers...
Good night forest
Gamble, Adam.
Paper Book
Good Night Forest explores maple trees, oak trees, evergreens, and redwood trees, along with hiking trails, fall foliage, snowy forests, pine cones, animals, black bears, squirrels, woodpecker, deer, and more! Put your hiking boots on and get ready to experience the seasons of the forest in this...
Weather
Anderson, Airlie.
Paper Book
Cat and her family return to our bookshelves in a new series introducing basic concepts. Babies will love the bold colours and enjoy listening to a reader share the simple text with them.
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...
Music
McDonald, Jill
Paper Book
Learn from home and explore the world with these fun and easy board books! Every young child loves to listen to music, bang on drums, and pound the keys of a piano. Now here's a Hello, World! board book that can teach babies and toddlers all about musical instruments and the...
Rainforest animals
McDonald, Jill
Paper Book
Learn from home and explore the world with these fun and easy board books! This bright and exciting Hello, World! board book teaches toddlers all about the amazing world of a rainforest-with easy-to-understand facts about the incredible animals who make their home there.
Animals : a high contrast board book
Priddy, Roger.
Paper Book
A black cat against a white background, a white rabbit on black, a bold blue butterfly...the high-contrast pictures and colors in this beautifully illustrated book from Roger Priddy will captivate babies' attention and stimulate their developing sight as they look at and learn about their very first...

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