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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Lambton County Library Summer Reading Challenge 2025
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Brown bear, brown bear, what do you see?
Martin, Bill
Paper Book
Celebrate the anniversary of this beloved children's book, 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 classic children's book, Brown...
Plant the tiny seed
Matheson, Christie.
Paper Book
Just as she did in Tap the Magic Tree and Touch the Brightest Star, Christie Matheson combines the wonder of the natural world with the interactivity of reading. Children engage with the book as they wiggle their fingers to water the seeds, clap to make the sun shine after rain, and...
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...
One mole digging a hole
Donaldson, Julia.
Paper Book
Join a delightful array of animals as they lend a hand in the garden, learning numbers along the way! In One Mole Digging a Hole, Julia Donaldson's whimsical rhymes and Nick Sharratt's hilarious illustrations make counting an absolute delight. From parrots pulling up...
Little Turtle's book of the blue
Zommer, Yuval.
Paper Book
Dive and drift with Little Turtle as he embarks on an undersea adventure and discovers all sorts of marine life. Packed with Yuval Zommer's gorgeous illustrations, tons of creatures to spot and fun onomatopoeia words to read out loud, this chunky board book is perfect for any...
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
Comical and original, this vivacious picture book from the creator of Maisy features a lovable new character -- and a novelty element that's a hole lot of fun. Today my daddy said to me, "It's time you learned to peck a tree." Little woodpecker has just...
See, touch, feel, create : a first sensory book to share with your baby
Priddy Books
Paper Book
Celebrate 25 years of Priddy Books! Inspiring a love of learning in over 200 million babies, toddlers, and young children. There's lots for baby to explore in See, Touch, Feel: A First Sensory Book. This sturdy board book, with bright photographs of happy babies, is...
Moon : a peek-through picture book
Teckentrup, Britta
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...
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
Hudson, Katy
Paper Book
The bestselling picture book that Publisher's Weekly calls "simultaneously sassy and sweet." 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...
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
Pig the Pug is back in a silly, simple feelings-themed board book -- with mylar mirror! Perfect for sharing all year long, this board book introduces the littlest Pig the Pug fans to feelings and emotions. Is Pig cranky, happy, or sleepy? Plus, babies and toddlers will love the mylar...
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...
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...
Never feed a yeti spaghetti
Stileman, Kali.
Paper Book
A rhyming board book with novelty felt mouths to feed! You should never feed a yeti spaghetti, offer a llama a banana, or give a cheetah a fajita! Find out why in this hilarious rhyming book. Each animal has a giant open mouth and big, felt teeth, so children can reach through the holes...
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.
Big red barn
Brown, Margaret Wise
Paper Book
Margaret Wise Brown's simple, rhythmic text about the cycle of a day on a farm, where a family of animals peacefully plays and sleeps, has charmed generations of children. This board book edition features sturdy pages and is just the right size for toddlers. As in her classic...
Swim, Duck, swim!
Harney, Jennifer.
Paper Book
Three tiny ducks. One straight line. New happy flock. All feeling fine. Until, that is, the last ducking sinks when she should swim. Let's try that again . . . and again and again. All this sinking is ruining the rhyme! <...
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...
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...
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.

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