50 Books for Babies

If you know us at all, you know we LOVE books! I've been reading to Ry pretty much since he was born, and now that he's almost ready to start preschool, I thought it was high time I posted a list of our favorite books.

This is a list of books Ry loved to look at from birth until about 18 months of age. There are a few we occasionally still flip through, but they're not as 'favorite' now as they were during his first year and a half. There are SO many books we could have chosen to list, but these books are the ones we've read over and over.

A note about our book choices:  we prefer to focus on books that are rooted in reality, as children don't develop the ability to distinguish between fantasy and reality until they're about 3 years old. As a result, they're aren't many books on this list featuring animals that talk or wear clothing, fairy tails, monsters, superheroes or other fantastical situations.

I also prefer to choose books for babies that have beautiful illustrations or photography or are visually stimulating.  We borrowed many of these books from our local library and purchased our very favorites or received several as gifts. 

Critters

1. Wild Animals (Baby touch and feel) by DK Publishing
2. Animals (Baby Touch and Feel) by DK Publishing
3. The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
4. Knut the Baby Polar Bear by Juliana Hatkoff
5. My Big Animal Book by Roger Priddy
6. I Went Walking by Sue Williams
7. Who Says Quack? by Jerry Smith
8. Baby's Animal Friends by Phoebe Dunn
9. Look at the Animals by Peter Linenthal

   10. Baby's Very First Noisy Book by Usborne

Ry is just in love with animals. We've had so much fun naming animals (both vocal and ASL), and learning their sounds. My in-laws gave Ry this Usborne noisy book when he was just a few months old. The illustrations are very simple, but Ry enjoyed turning the pages and pushing the buttons to hear the animal noises. It's one of the few books we had out constantly for almost 2 years. (Note, Usborne doesn't sell this particular book anymore, but they have several other very first noisy book variations, such as farm, train, zoo, etc.)

Ry also loves the Baby Touch and Feel animal books. He enjoys feeling the different textures on each page and actually still flips through these ones from time to time.

Clothing, Food and Environment

1. Which Shoes Would You Choose? by Betsy Rosenthal and Nancy Cote
2. Baby Shoes by Dashka Slater
3. What's On My Head? by Margaret Miller
4. My Very First Book of Food by Eric Carle
5. Eating the Rainbow by Star Bright Books
6. Baby Signs by Joy Allen
7. Look, Look Outside! by Peter Linenthal
8. Touch and Feel Fire Engine by DK Publishing
9. Wheels on the Bus by Raffi 

These books were incredibly helpful in reinforcing the ASL signs we learned. We had fun practicing our signs while reading about everyday things that all babies experience, such as food, hats, shoes and transportation.

Anatomy/Senses

1. Here Are My Hands by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archembault
2. Hands Can by Cheryl Willis Hudson
3. Clap Hands by Helen Oxenbury
4. I Can by Helen Oxenbury
5. I See by Helen Oxenbury
6. I Touch by Helen Oxenbury
7. I Hear by Helen Oxenbury
8. Eyes, Nose, Fingers, and Toes by Judy Hindley
9. Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes by Mem Fox

These books helped Ry learn his body parts and senses. We made a game out reading "Here Are My Hands" and Ry would just belly laugh every time. And, I cannot say enough complimentary things about Helen Oxenbury's books and illustrations. She's one of our favorite author/illustrators and we highly recommend her work!

Bathtime/Bedtime

1. Say Goodnight by Helen Oxenbury
2. Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
3. Time for Bed by Mem Fox
4. Time for a Bath by Phillis Gershator
5. Splash by Roberta Grobel
6. Sleep by Roberta Grobel

No baby book list would be complete without classics like "Goodnight Moon" and "Time for Bed", but we also enjoyed these other books as well. "Time For a Bath" does involve anthropomorphic animals, but the rhyming text and sweet story convinced me to make an exception for it.

Love and Laughter

1. Tickle, Tickle by Helen Oxenbury
2. All Fall Down by Helen Oxenbury
3. Counting Kisses by Karen Katz
4. Daddy Hugs by Karen Katz
5. Mommy Hugs by Karen Katz
6. Time for a Hug by Phillis Gershator
7. Peekaboo Baby by Sebastian Braun

Ry learned how to "Peek-a-Boo" from reading "Peekaboo Baby". One of the best book gifts we received. Thanks, Mom!

People

1. Baby Faces by DK Publishing
2. Babies by Gyo Fujikawa
3. Baby Faces by Margaret Miller
4. Global Baby Boys by Maya Ajmera
5. Carry Me by Rena D. Grossman
6. Everywhere Babies by Susan Meyers
7. Global Babies by The Global Fund for Children
8. Global Baby Girls by The Global Fund for Children
9. I Love Colors by Margaret Miller

In the suburban area where we live, we have a sort of 'shortage' of diverse cultures and ethnicities... I'm glad I found the Global Babies books. Babies love to look at picture of other babies and Ry found it very interesting to see other babies from around the world, from all different countries and cultures doing the same things he does - wearing hats, playing, being carried by a parent, walking, eating, etc.  Highly recommend!

Buying a book for a baby in your life? If you'd like to see this list on Amazon, check it out here. Or, if you prefer to purchase used books, click through to view this list on Thriftbooks (my all-time favorite site for used books!)

What are your favorite baby books?

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