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
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...
Your nose! : a wild little love song
Boynton, Sandra.
Paper Book
From beloved and bestselling Sandra Boynton comes a board book that's a year-round valentine from parent to child! 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 celebration of the love between a parent...
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...
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
This joyful counting book is now available as a sturdy board book, perfect for little hands to hold!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...
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...
Never touch a dragon!
Greening, Rosie.
Paper Book
A tactile touch-and-feel book all about dragons. You must never touch a dragon . . . unless it's in this book! This dragon-themed touch-and-feel board book is great for children of all ages and fits perfectly into tiny hands. Kids will lovereading the silly rhymes that warn of the...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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 be...
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...

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