Favorite Books for Babies, Toddlers & Preschoolers

When my daughter was one week old, I caught my mom reading Goodnight Moon to her and pointing out all of the objects and colors in the book. I was like, “Mom, she’s only a week old – she’s not going to learn what green is!” But my mom, who used to be an elementary school teacher, reminded me that it’s never too young to read with and teach a child. Even if they don’t understand just yet, they’re taking so much in, and just hearing your voice reading to and speaking with them at a very young age helps them to learn and develop.

The nice thing about reading with a newborn is that they will sit through anything, so you don’t even have to start with boring baby books – jump right into Dr. Seuss, Harry Potter or even The New York Times. Once they get to toddler age, they start developing much stronger opinions about what they want to read and have shorter attention spans. I remember my daughter going through a phase where she just wanted to turn the pages and it was faster than I could even read them. I’d be like, “Brown Bear, Brown Bear, what do you…Yellow Duck…Green Frog…I see…Black Sheep…you see…the end.” It was a little frustrating, but she was trying to interact so I just went with it and soon enough she was interested in reading the whole book again. By 2-2.5 years old, she started enjoying much longer books again. And around 3.5, we started reading some much longer chapter books to her at bedtime.

Here I’ve listed some of my favorite books for babies, toddlers and preschoolers. Experiment with your own to see what they like – sometimes I’m surprised by what my daughter likes and what she doesn’t even want to try, and it changes constantly with age (or mood). So don’t get discouraged if they don’t like your favorite book and only want to read “Brown Bear, Brown Bear” over and over (and over and over) again, because it’s likely to change again soon. Just enjoy the bonding time with them and read to/with them every day!

---

High-Contrast Books for Newborns

High-contrast books/items, e.g., in black & white, are supposed to help baby’s eyesight and brain development.

• Manhattan Toy Wimmer-Ferguson See and Say Board Book

• Spots and Dots (Art-Baby)

• Wee Gallery Art Cards for Baby

Board Books

• Goodnight Moon, by Margaret Wise Brown and Clement Hurd

• The Runaway Bunny, by Margaret Wise Brown and Clement Hurd

• Each Peach Pear Plum, by Allan Ahlberg

• The Very Hungry Caterpillar, by Eric Carle

• Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumbs, by Al Perkins and Eric Gurney

• Are You My Mother?, by P.D. Eastman

• Guess How Much I Love You, by Sam McBratney

• The Going To Bed Book, by Sandra Boynton

• Brown Bear & Friends 4 Board Book Gift Set, by Bill Martin Jr.; or purchase them individually:

  • Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?

  • Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What Do You See?

  • Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See?

  • Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You See?

• Dr. Seuss

  • Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You?

  • There's a Wocket in My Pocket!

  • Oh, the Thinks You Can Think!

• I Am a Bunny, by Ole Risom and Richard Scarry

• I Am a Mouse, by Ole Risom and Richard Scarry

• Ten Tiny Babies, by Karen Katz

• Ten Little Babies, by Gyo Fujikawa

• Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes, by Mem Fox and Helen Oxenbury

• Jamberry, by Bruce Degen

• Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault

• Giraffes Can’t Dance, by Giles Andreae and Guy Parker-Rees

• The Pout Pout Fish, by Deborah Diesen and Dan Hanna

• Please, Mr. Panda, by Steve Antony

• Llama Llama Red Pajama, by Anna Dewdney

• Little Gorilla, by Ruth Bornstein

• From Head to Toe, by Eric Carle

• If Animals Kissed Good Night, by Ann Whitford Paul and David Walker

• Emma Dodd Books

  • Forever

  • Love

• Little Elliot Big City, by Mike Curato

• Corduroy Books, by Don Freeman

  • Corduroy

  • A Pocket for Corduroy

• Little Blue Truck Books, by Alice Schertle

  • Little Blue Truck

  • Little Blue Truck Leads the Way

  • Good Night, Little Blue Truck

  • Little Blue Truck's Springtime

• Where Do Diggers Sleep at Night?, by Brianna Caplan Sayres and Christian Slade

• The Goodnight Train, by June Sobel

• Five Little Monkeys Reading in Bed, by Eileen Christelow

• I Took the Moon for a Walk, by Carolyn Curtis and Alison Jay

• Dream Animals and Day Dreamers, by Emily Winfield Martin

• Harold and the Purple Crayon, by Crockett Johnson

• The Giant Jam Sandwich, by by Janet Burroway and John Vernon Lord

• The Mitten, by Jan Brett

• The Snowy Day, by Ezra Jack Keats

• Press Here, by Herve Tullet

• A Is for Awesome!: 23 Iconic Women Who Changed the World, by Eva Chen and Derek Desierto

• Antiracist Baby, by Ibram X. Kendi

• Mixed: A Colorful Story, by Arree Chung

• The Gruffalo, by Julia Donaldson

Interactive Books

• Nature Friends Lift-a-Flap Boxed Set 4-Pack, by Ginger Swift; or purchase them individually:

  • Little Red Barn

  • Little Blue Boat

  • Little Green Frog

  • Little Yellow Bee

• Little Friends Home Sweet Home, by Roger Priddy

• Where’s Baby’s Belly Button?, by Karen Katz

• Where’s the Giraffe?, by Nosy Crow and Ingela P Arrhenius

• Dear Zoo, by Rod Campbell

• Knock Knock Who’s There, by Anna Ross and Joe Mathieu

• Elmo's World First Flap-Book Library

• Never Touch a Monster, by Make Believe Ideas Ltd

• Peek-a-Flap WHO, by Jaye Garnett

• It’s a Small World Furry Friends

• It’s a Small World Guess Who!

• First 100 Words Lift-the-Flap, by Roger Priddy

• Lift-the-Flap Tab: Trucks, by Roger Priddy

• Welcome to the Symphony, by Carolyn Sloan and James Williamson

• Indestructibles, by Amy Pixton

  • Hello, Farm!

  • Baby Animals

  • Baby Night-Night

  • Baby Faces

  • Things That Go!

  • Baby, Let’s Eat!

  • Love You, Baby

Educational Books

• First 100 Board Book Box Set, by Roger Priddy; or purchase them individually:

  • First 100 Words

  • First 100 Animals

  • Numbers Colors Shapes

• 4 Pack Babies Love Learning Lift-a-Flap Boxed Set; or purchase them individually:

  • First Words, by Scarlett Wing

  • Animals, by Scarlett Wing

  • Colors, by Michelle Rhodes-Conway

  • Things That Go, by Scarlett Wing

Tiny Books

Babies and toddlers love these tiny board books! Throwing a couple in a diaper bag is like having a book and a toy. Be sure to keep the box they come in because that’s half the fun.

• Baby Einstein - My First Library 12 Board Book Block Set

• World of Eric Carle, My First Library Board Book Block 12-Book Set

• Sesame Street - My First Library Board Book Block 12-Book Set

• Mother Goose Deluxe My First Library 12 Board Book Block

• Encyclopedia Britannica - My First Library Board Book Block 12-Book Set

• Brown Bear & Friends Little Bear Library (tiny hardcover books)

Hardcover Books

• We’re Different, We’re the Same, by Bobbi Kates and Joe Mathieu

• Just One You, by Sesame Workshop

• The Messy Alphabet Book, by Sesame Workshop

• The Wonderful Things You Will Be, by Emily Winfield Martin

• Pete the Cat I Love My White Shoes, by James Dean

• Daniel Tiger’s 3-Minute Bedtime Stories

• Madeline, by Ludwig Bemelmans

• Corduroy, by Don Freeman

• The Story of Ferdinand, by Munro Leaf and Robert Lawson

• The Little Engine That Could, by Watty Piper

• Dr. Seuss (+ Cat in the Hat's Learning Library)

  • Oh, The Places You'll Go!

  • Green Eggs and Ham

  • The Cat in the Hat

  • One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish

  • The Sneetches and Other Stories

  • The Lorax

  • Horton Hears a Who!

  • Dr Seuss's Sleep Book

  • There's No Place Like Space: All About Our Solar System, by Tish Rabe

• The New Adventures of Curious George (collection of 8 stories), by H. A. Rey and Margret Rey

• Fancy Nancy, by Jane O’Connor

• Ada Twist, Scientist, by Andrea Beaty

• Dragons Love Tacos, by Adam Rubin

• Jabari Jumps, by Gaia Cornwall

• Uni the Unicorn, by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

• We Are Family, by Patricia Hegarty and Ryan Wheatcroft

• Just Ask!: Be Different, Be Brave, Be You, by Sonia Sotomayor

• Last Stop on Market Street, by Matt de la Peña

• Sulwe, by Lupita Nyong'o and Vashti Harrison

• I Am Enough, by Grace Byers

• Eyes That Kiss in the Corners, by Joanna Ho

• Strictly No Elephants Hardcover, by Lisa Mantchev

• The Snail and the Whale, by Julia Donaldson

• Gratitude the Great Hardcover, by Pamelyn Rocco

Paperback Books

Paperback books are great for travel or keeping a couple in the diaper bag for on-the-go and restaurant entertainment.

• Frog and Toad, by Arnold Lobel

  • Frog and Toad are Friends

  • Frog and Toad Together

  • Days with Frog and Toad

  • Frog and Toad All Year

  • Or get this box set of three favorite stories

• Little Critters, by Mercer Mayer

  • All by Myself

  • Just Go to Bed

  • Just Me and My Mom

• Daniel Tiger books

  • Goodnight, Daniel Tiger

  • Daniel Tiger Family Trip

  • Daniel Chooses to be Kind

  • Daniel Tries a New Food

  • Daniel Visits the Doctor

  • Daniel Goes to School

• Pete the Cat, by James Dean

  • I Love My White Shoes

  • Pete the Cat and the Cool Caterpillar

  • Pete’s Big Lunch

  • Pete the Cat and the Tip-Top Tree House

  • Pete at the Beach

• Fancy Nancy Books, by Jane O'Connor

  • Fancy Nancy Take-Along Storybook Set: 5 Storybook Adventures

  • Fancy Nancy and the Quest for the Unicorn

  • Fancy Nancy: Sand Castles and Sand Palaces

  • Fancy Nancy: There's No Day Like a Snow Day

• Julia Donaldson Books - Set of 10 Various Books

  • Includes The Snail and the Whale, Room on the Broom, The Gruffalo''s Child, The Gruffalo, The Paper Dolls The Smartest Giant in Town, Charlie Cook's Favourite Book, Tyrannosaurus Drip, A Squash and a Squeeze, Cave Baby

• Other favorites in paperback:

  • Each Peach Pear Plum, by Allan Ahlberg

  • The Very Hungry Caterpillar, by Eric Carle

  • We’re Different, We’re the Same, by Bobbi Kates and Joe Mathieu

  • Dr Seuss's Sleep Book

  • Are You My Mother?, by P.D. Eastman

  • Jamberry, by Bruce Degen

  • Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault

  • Giraffes Can’t Dance, by Giles Andreae and Guy Parker-Rees

  • Forever, by Emma Dodd

  • Love, by Emma Dodd

  • I Took the Moon for a Walk, by Carolyn Curtis and Alison Jay

  • Harold and the Purple Crayon, by Crockett Johnson

  • Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You?, by Dr. Seuss

  • There's a Wocket in My Pocket!, by Dr. Seuss

  • The Giant Jam Sandwich, by by Janet Burroway and John Vernon Lord

  • Madeline, by Ludwig Bemelmans

  • Corduroy, by Don Freeman

  • The Story of Ferdinand, by Munro Leaf and Robert Lawson

  • The Name Jar, by Yangsook Choi

Potty Training Books

• Potty, by Leslie Patricelli

• P is for Potty! (Sesame Street), by Naomi Kleinberg and Christopher Moroney

• Daniel Goes to the Potty, by Maggie Testa and Jason Fruchter

• Where’s the Poop?, by Julie Markes and Susan Kathleen Hartung

• Once Upon a Potty – Girl, by Alona Frankel

• Once Upon a Potty – Boy, by Alona Frankel

• Big Girl Panties, by Fran Manushkin and Valeria Petrone

• Big Boy Underpants, by Fran Manushkin and Valeria Petrone

New Sibling Books

• Hello in There!: A Big Sister's Book of Waiting, by Jo Witek and Christine Roussey

• I Am a Big Sister!, by Caroline Jayne Church

• I Am a Big Brother!, by Caroline Jayne Church

• The Baby Is Here!, by Angela C. Santomero

• Big Brother Daniel, by Angela C. Santomero

• The New Baby (Little Critter), by Mercer Mayer

Celebrating Diversity

• We’re Different, We’re the Same, by Bobbi Kates and Joe Mathieu

• Remarkably You, by Pat Zietlow Miller

• Be Kind, by Pat Zietlow Miller

• Antiracist Baby, by Ibram X. Kendi

• The A-Z Children's Guide To Race and Activism, by Nicole Sparks

• Our Skin: A First Conversation About Race, by Megan Madison and Jessica Ralli

• Mixed: A Colorful Story, by Arree Chung

• The Snowy Day, by Ezra Jack Keats

• Just Ask!: Be Different, Be Brave, Be You, by Sonia Sotomayor

• Ada Twist, Scientist, by Andrea Beaty

• Jabari Jumps, by Gaia Cornwall

• We Are Family, by Patricia Hegarty and Ryan Wheatcroft

• The Colors of Us, by Karen Katz

• Last Stop on Market Street, by Matt de la Peña

• A Is for Awesome!: 23 Iconic Women Who Changed the World, by Eva Chen and Derek Desierto

• Little Dreamers: Visionary Women Around the World, by Vashti Harrison

• Sulwe, by Lupita Nyong'o and Vashti Harrison

• I Am Enough, by Grace Byers

• The Name Jar, by Yangsook Choi

• Eyes That Kiss in the Corners, by Joanna Ho

Holidays

• Valentine’s Day

  • Love from The Very Hungry Caterpillar

  • Little Blue Truck's Valentine

  • Happy Valentine's Day, Curious George

  • Elmo Loves You

  • Daniel Loves You

  • Llama Llama I Love You

  • Pete the Cat: Valentine's Day Is Cool

• Spring Holidays

  • Llama Llama Easter Egg

  • The Great Easter Race!: A Springtime Sesame Street Story with Elmo, Cookie Monster, Big Bird and Friends!

  • It's Not Easy Being a Bunny

  • Fancy Nancy and the Missing Easter Bunny

  • Pete the Cat: Big Easter Adventure

  • It's Passover, Grover! (Sesame Street)

• Mother’s Day and Father’s Day

  • Everything Is Mama

  • I Love Mom with The Very Hungry Caterpillar

  • Just Me and My Mom

  • Your Baby's First Word Will Be DADA

  • I Love Dad with The Very Hungry Caterpillar

  • Just Me and My Dad

  • Made for Me

• Fall Holidays

  • Spooky, Spooky Little Bat (Finger Puppet Books)

  • The Itsy Bitsy Pumpkin

  • Little Blue Truck’s Halloween

  • Llama Llama Trick or Treat

  • Room on the Broom

  • Fancy Nancy: Candy Bonanza

  • Pete the Cat: Trick or Pete

  • Little Elliot, Fall Friends

• Winter Holidays

  • Frosty the Snowman

  • The Snowman

  • Little Blue Truck's Christmas

  • Merry Christmas, Curious George

  • How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

  • The Polar Express

  • The Story of Hanukkah

  • Grover's Eight Nights of Light (Sesame Street)