Must Read Baby Books

This entry is part 12 of 33 in the series Baby Days

Baby's First Library - must read baby books

Our little one is turning one in one week.  I can’t believe how the time has flown and how much she is doing.  She just started walking this week. She still prefers crawling, but it is oh so sweet to see her toddling along eyes bright with the accomplishment!

In honor of her birthday, I thought I would share a book list just for little ones.  These are must read by the first birthday.  All introduce early concepts and all are fun for little eyes and ears.

Note: This post includes affiliate links.  When you click on the images of each book (on the left) and make a purchase, your children will be grateful and so will I!  I will receive a small remuneration for referring you.  No pressure, the book list is free and libraries are amazing!

Baby’s First Library


Peter Rabbit’s Touch and Feel by Beatrix Potter is a perfect first book for baby because it has very limited words and has a sensory element to it. It is a perfect book for bedtime routines and early lap sitting reading.

Fluffy Chick and Friends is another wonderful early book because of its soft cover. It comes in various versions, but this one is a bath book.  Fun for baby’s first tub times and easy for everyday play, too.  This book introduces baby to animals, sounds, and colors with a cute rhyming scheme.


Captain Calamari’s Color Adventure by Lamaze is so fun! It is an excellent book to start introducing character voices to your little one. I love to read this one to our girls like a pirate! I am sure my voice sounds nothing like a pirate, but they enjoy and notice the different voice. As the name suggests, this book teaches colors and introduces the animals of the ocean.


In My Den by Sarah Gillingham is part of a series of finger puppet books that delight little eyes. There is a hole in the back of the book for the reader to slip her finger into and wiggle around as she reads the book. Watching little eyes light up for this read is so much fun! The book has simple prose, perfect for short attention spans.


Circus McGurkus 1,2,3! by Dr. Seuss introduces little ones to the magic of Theodore Geisel. Early introduction to counting concepts and silliness is a must for baby!


Toes, Ears, and Nose! by Marion Dane Bauer is a lift-the-flap book for teaching body awareness and body part names.  The cute illustrations by Karen Katz are highlighted by the flaps opening to reveal tiny cute body parts.  Babies just learning to turn pages will love this book because they will have much to do.

Moo, Baa, La La La! by Sandra Boynton has to be included in any and every list of baby books.  This is one of the best books for encouraging talking with your little ones.  Each animal makes a sound, but the last page asks, “Now what do you say?”  Engaging children with animal noises that are easy for them to make and then encouraging them to talk is such a major part of conversation development!

Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown is wonderful for babies, toddlers, and school age children getting ready for bed.  But babies will like the visual distinctions on each page.  Every other layout page is in color.  And the other layouts are in black and white.  The black and white pages will appeal to baby very early on (as they see these distinctions best at this point) and then the color pages will subtly introduce colors to baby.

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault will introduce your wee one to the alphabet in a fun way.  I love reading through the book and then singing the ABCs with our little girls while pointing to each letter.  Our oldest learned the alphabet rather quickly with this book!  I can’t imagine any baby’s library being complete without it!

Alice in Wonderland by Jennifer Adams and Alison Oliver is part of a series of books introducing basic concepts through classic literature.  I love the illustrations!  The sparse prose introduces only one concept at a time, giving baby lots to look at with only one new word to process.  Perfect for introducing early concepts.  Their version of Alice introduces color.

A library of little books like this Mickey Mouse Clubhouse board book library is a must!  We have a couple of sets.  Most libraries of little books introduce early concepts in small doses.  They are ideal for small hands to turn the pages and help teach and reinforce cleaning up.  When we are done with our little books, we take the time to put them back in the box.  This makes early trips to the library (a little) easier.

I couldn’t have a baby book list without including a Sandra Boynton book and I couldn’t choose just one.  Tickle Time is so great I just cannot stand it!  It is perfect for getting all those giggles and grins out of your little one.  And it also reinforces the idea that reading can be FUN!

I hope you enjoyed this book list! If you are always on the hunt for a good book, be sure to like me on Facebook where I share the Picture Book of the Day each day selected by an amazing group of moms who love to read.  Or you can follow the Picture Book of the Day board on Pinterest to see the pins in your feed.  Today’s picture book of the day is:

picture book of the day in my den

 

What books would you add as must reads for babies?

Note: This post includes affiliate links.  When you click on the images of each book (on the left) and make a purchase, your children will be grateful and so will I!  I will receive a small remuneration for referring you.  No pressure, the book list is free and libraries are amazing!

Baby's First Library - must have baby books


Series Navigation<< Baby’s First Valentine5 Tips for Making Baby Signs Work for YOU! >>

This Post Has 2 Comments

  1. What a fun list! Sandra Boynton is always a favorite and Toes, Ears & Nose was another one my daughter liked. She also liked any book with pictures of other babies!

  2. conni hudson

    These books are just the best! Every book is worthwhile. G has lloved them and W is following in her sister’s footsteps. I am sure they will be readers all their lives thanks to their parents good start.

Leave a Reply