As a strong advocate of books-from-birth, I read to my baby daily pretty much as soon as we were home from the hospital. It paid off! Before he was 6 months old, my son showed a strong preference to be read to, would sit patiently as we paged through "Big Red Barn" for the millionth time, and would even fuss when we were done. By 8 months, he'd stop crying over everything from a hurt finger to a case of the pre-nap grumps if I grabbed a book. So I highly recommend reading to your baby, even when it looks pointless!
Below are the suggestions of books that are widely regarded as excellent for the youngest child. Enjoy!
Picture Books for toddlers and up can be found HERE
Below are the suggestions of books that are widely regarded as excellent for the youngest child. Enjoy!
Picture Books for toddlers and up can be found HERE
Good Night Moon by Brown
Research suggests a night-time routine helps Baby fall asleep easier - this might be a good place to start! Or you might just be giving your child a method for delaying bedtime... |
Very Hungry Caterpillar by Carle
it teaches several excellent concepts (counting, days of the week, etc.) - and has fun holes to poke a finger through! |
Dear Zoo by Cambell
A book with flaps encourages a baby to practice fine motor skills. We also loved to make the animal sounds ("What does a camel say?" ...Makes fake spitting noise...) |
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Peek-a Who? by Laden
Get those nice 'oooh' sounds in! And end with a peek in a mirror (which all babies love!) |
LIttle Blue Truck by Schertle
This is one of the best baby books, due to all the animal sounds. The text also encourages sound effects (like a deep voice for the Dump Truck) by changing the font. |
Sheep in a Jeep by Shaw
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There's a Wocket in my Pocket! by Dr. Seuss
On one hand, there are lots of fun sounds...on the other, this has mostly nonsense words in it. If you only want to speak 'real' words to your baby, this is not the best book choice. But it is fun classic Seuss! |
Guess How Much I Love You by McBratney
Until a child is old enough to understand the words, this book won't mean much. But, it has such a sweet message, it's hard not to love this book. Your baby probably won't care for this right away, but if you keep reading it to baby over and over, it will likely turn into a favorite (babies LOVE repetition) |
Pajama Time by Boynton
This author has some fun, silly books. This one encourages a bit of singing and maybe even some dancing. It certainly encourages a child to be enthusiastic about getting ready for bed. As a bonus, the hole on the cover (the moon shape), is fun for baby to explore too! |
Good Dog, Carl by Day
This is mostly a wordless book, so a parent must narrate the pictures (which can be either more fun or more difficult, depending on the parent). There are many more books in this series if you enjoy this one. |
Good Night Gorilla by Rathmann
Another books that may be better for toddlers who understand what's happening in the pictures, but it's a cute classic book. |
Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You? by Dr. Seuss
Lots and lots of fun sounds to make. My baby learned to click his tongue before he could talk, because I made horse clopping sounds from this book. |
The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry and the Big Hungry Bear by Wood
This one has the reader (or listener) become part of the story, which can be a lot of fun! |
Big Red Barn by Brown
Another book that can encourage fun animal sounds. |
Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb by Perkins
This book has a great beat - you naturally end up speaking with a 'DUM dum DUM dum' rhythm, which babies love. This is also a good book for those who need a bit of assistance in making their voices less monotone when reading. |
Where's Spot by Hill
Fun lift-the-flap book |
First the Egg by Seeger
We didn't try this book until my oldest was a toddler (22 months), but he LOVED it! |
The Napping House by Wood
Another classic my baby didn't love, but which he'll probably appreciate once he's a little older. Very fun pictures though (find each animal in every picture) |
Where is the Green Sheep? by Mem Fox
This is an example of a bi-lingual book (there are plenty to be found in multiple languages, if you are interested). One note - I've been told that you should read a bi-lingual book through completely in a single language, then read it again in the other language (rather than read both languages on each page) in order to be an effective teaching tool. |
Moo, Baa, La La La! by Boynton
Very simple text with animal sounds. A short read that could hold even the shortest attention span. |
I Stink! by McMullan
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Mouse Paint by Walsh
Learn about colors! And mixing colors. |
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Martin
My toddler loved the letters falling down. This is great for remembering the alphabet. |
On the Night You were Born by Tillman
Sweet sentiment, but more poetic than interesting for most babies. |
Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed by Christelow
Any book that encourages singing to baby is an excellent choice. This one has some great hand motions to go along with it and you can bounce baby too. |
Ten, Nine, Eight by Bang
A night-time counting book. |
Thank you Bear by Foley
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Everyone Poops by Gomi
Okay, probably any potty-training book would be equally good, but I liked this one. |