Reading to your little one requires a massive amount of patience and a good selection of the best board books for toddlers.
I absolutely loved reading to my chunky little monkeys when they were toddlers. Those are memories I will cherish forever.
But do they stop moving long enough to enjoy a book?
They sure do! We have come up with some tried and true helpful pointers! For more tips on reading out loud to your child see our post Improve Reading Comprehension For Kids – Shout It Out!
Even if they won’t sit next to you at first, just start reading out loud.
Be animated and boisterous. I guarantee, they will stop in their tracks and be lured in. They will be so curious, they won’t be able to help themselves. Before you know it, you will have a snuggly little buddy right next to you!
This informative article from PBS discusses reading milestones through 18 months old.
They will want to handle these books with their own pudgy fingers. Until they learn how to treat books, board books are the best bet. They can “read” board books by themselves; no worries about ripped pages. Big picture books are great for when babies are too small to want to hold books, and they are appropriate when kiddos have a little more respect for books.
Take time while reading to make comments about the book.
Point out the bold colors, the silly animals. This is how they start to associate objects with the words.
If the words are big enough, point to the word when you read it! Board books are great for this, they usually have large, simple words.
With the help of our kids, we came up with some great board books toddlers will love! I hope you enjoy these as much as we have!
Big Little by Leslie Patricelli
This book was a huge favorite with our family. It is a brightly colored board book with a few simple words per page. It is so silly and makes me smile just thinking about it! This book compares words and their opposites, like, “elephants are big, mice are little.” It has a cute little baby in all the scenes, he is the main character. Our favorite page is the one that says, “Ladies are big, ladybugs are little.” It’s hilarious, the “big lady” is wearing a dress similar to ladybug wings. Leslie Patricelli has more than 20 board books; they are all hysterical.
Pajama Time! by Sandra Boynton
Such a silly bedtime book! I love it because it’s goofy. It makes you have one last giggle before bedtime! It goes through the process of getting your pj’s on with dance moves! The little jingle you will sing (made up by yourself of course) can be a fun tradition every night. It helps make getting ready for bed fun! We parents can always use a little help with making bedtime less of a chore. Sandra Boynton has tons of great board books all with her well-known animal characters.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
Is a beautifully illustrated classic that we all know and love. The bright pictures combined with the cute story make this a must have! Your kiddos will love turning the pages to see just what the caterpillar will eat next. Of course, the holes poking through the food is fun for their fat little fingers. This is one of the best books for toddlers because of the interactive holes! Eric Carle has many board books that would be a great addition to your home.
Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
Is another wonderful classic and a personal favorite. This story is so sweet and peaceful to read. I found that I almost had to whisper when reading this to my kids. It is that precious. This sweet little bunny goes through his home saying “goodnight” to random things, like his comb and brush. As the story winds down, so does your level of relaxation. It is impossible to not feel sleepy after reading this book. Margaret Wise Brown has written other cute books, but Goodnight Moon is by far the best.
Dr. Seuss’s ABC: An Amazing Alphabet Book! By Dr. Seuss
What can I say? It’s a Dr. Seuss book, you can’t go wrong. His quirky take on words that start with a certain letter is so comical. Each page is devoted to a letter. Appropriate pictures and a silly rhyme like song represent the letter. It is hard to not read this book loudly and laugh the whole time. It’s simply Dr. Seuss ridiculousness. Everytime you say, “Four fluffy feathers on a Fiffer- feffer- feff”, your kiddos will crack up! What a fun way to learn your letters! Many of Dr. Seuss’s books come in board books. Thank you, Dr. Seuss.
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? By Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle
Is a favorite to all preschool teachers. I remember when both my kids were that age, they did a book of art projects relating to Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? It is easy to see why this classic book is so popular. The illustrations are so bright and the content is very catchy. It’s a fun, easy rhyme to remember. This is a classic favorite board book for babies! If you don’t already have this, it’s a must have!!
Goodnight, Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann
Was one of my son’s absolute favorite board books. He took it to bed with him, in the car too. It went everywhere! Thank goodness this one wasn’t one of his “chew toys”. This story is just so sweet. The Zookeeper is a gentle man who carefully puts all the animals to bed. What he doesn’t realize, is that a friendly gorilla takes his keys and lets out the animals. They don’t cause naughty mischief like you’d think. It’s so cute what they want to do when they get out….you will have to read it for yourself!
Barnyard Dance! By Sandra Boynton
Was my daughter’s favorite board book. I think this was because my son had fun reading it to her! This book is outrageously funny! Big-eyed goofy farm animals are all dancing with each other. Sandra Boynton breaks the laugh meter with her goofy animals and their crazy actions. This is an interactive board book, so get your stompin’ boots on!! Barnyard Dance! gets you up and moving, sure to be a family favorite.
First 100 Words by Roger Priddy
Is filled with 100 first words and matching pictures. This colorful board book is cute and very helpful in its simplicity. It is one of the best board books for babies for learning first words. Roger Priddy actually has other board books about numbers and animals. They too are wonderful and perfect for toddlers just learning first words.
Mommy Hugs and Daddy Kisses by Anne Gutman and Georg Hallensleben
Are two wonderful board books. I couldn’t decide which one was my favorite, so, I picked them both! These two books go hand in hand. They are such sweet stories about how different animals kiss or hug their babies. “Mommy elephant hugs her calf with a squeeze.” Each page has a line like that with beautiful illustrations of these adorable animals. This is a great quiet time book right before nap or bedtime. My husband loved reading Daddy Kisses to our babies, such good memories.
I sure hope this post helps you! I had fun going down memory lane…..take care, Kris:)
Read on my friends!!
Thank you for this awesome book list. Some of these books I know from my childhood and some seem very interesting to read. My baby is one year old and I’m reading to her since she was about 4-5 months, and she absolutely loves it 🙂 Amazon indeed is a great place to get these books.
Thanks again for sharing 🙂
Yes, kids love when their parents read to them. It’s spending quality time, and kids just eat that up. Okay, so do the parents! Thank you for your comment.
I enjoyed reading this post, love the enthusiasm! It is good to know that we can start reading to kids early in life, and thank you for teaching me that it is important to interact and teach them through our voices, emphasis on words, and pointing out colors and shapes. I am a little awkward with babies and toddlers since sometimes my mind goes blank so I have a hard time being silly and creative. Funnily enough, I am good with animals though, I baby talk to my dog, cat, and parrot all the time. Maybe having an indestructible board book to read from would be a huge help in getting me started with bonding with children. I don’t have kids yet, but one day I will and will remember to get some board books!
Glad I could give you some ideas for down the road. Thanks for your comment.
It’s true! Reading starts in the womb… well it did for my son! I read many books out loud while I was pregnant and once my son was born, the board books were perfect! (You don’t have to worry about soggy pages from drool or paper cuts) Sandra BOYNTONA is definitely a favourite, She creates these books with pasion and humour that the whole family can enjoy. I recognized many others too and I have to agree that these are some of the best books for babies, toddlers and even some 4-5 year olds. My son is 6 now and we have our noses in Captain Underpants.
Our kids LOVE Captain Underpants! I completely agree, the earlier you start, the better. Thank you for your fantastic comment!
I don’t have kids, but I do have a 2-week old sister and your ideas and tips are definitely giving me some great ideas. I will take your advice and buy some board books for my mom so she can read them to her little one. thanks again!
You would be the “favorite” brother if you started bonding with your little sister over some books. She would probably love to snuggle with you and hear your voice! It’s never too young to start reading to babies! Thank you so much and good luck!
What an awesome list to share! These are ALL great board books!
We went through some of those when my children were small. They are most all grown now, having children of their own. My grandbabies, have been fortunate to inherit most of these books on your list and have thoroughly enjoyed not only reading or looking through them, but also chewing on them, haha.
Our favorites included The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Goodnight Moon, but… you could NEVER go wrong choosing a Dr. Suess book! They were always so colorful and funny :o).
Thanks so much for sharing all these great toddler/baby reads. Most were always on the top of our reading list as well. – Paula
Hi there! It sure is great to pass on the tradition and read these classics to grandkids someday. Goodnight Moon has always been a favorite in our house, it has the bite marks to prove it:) Thank you for checking out our post!
I remember “The Very Hungry Catepillar” as a young kid. I really love and enjoyed reading the tips that you give about reading to kids. You really helped give me some tips and advice on what to read to my little sibling. thanks for sharing!
Hi, The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a classic loved by many! Glad our tips are helpful for you, thanks:)
I have a granddaughter whom I would love to read more to. will have to check these out!! thank you for sharing.
Absolutely! Thank you for stopping by.
This is a great way to introduce little kids to reading, but not only that, the bonds that you create with your children by doing activities like this is awesome. Sometimes parents wishes for their children to stay in that age forever, is a beautiful time period for the parents and kids as well. How much I miss those moments.
Yes, I agree, this is a great time to bond. I also miss those moments, but they do grow and have other great moments. Thank you so much for your comment!
My daughter is just learning to read…. teaching kids is a challenge, of course you love them, but you need to know the right approaches too. One of our issues (probably the same with a lot of young kids) is simply the attention span. If they aren’t engaged in the story, then trying to work through a book is like pulling teeth. Thanks for the overview of some work that will really help engage the child, and save mom/dad a lot of pain in the rear
I agree, you have be able to keep their attention. It’s important to take on the characters and be very expressive. Kids do have a short attention span. I am currently working on a post about teenagers and their almost non-existent attention span. Thank you so much for your comment.
Awesome! I have been looking looking for a resource that can give me some great reviews on books for toddlers. Board books in particular are much more desirable for me because my toddler is still in the tearing up anything that he can possibly tear stage LOL. And I completely agree with being loud and silly to help your kid stay interested in the story.
I took a look at the pbs article because I also have a 6 month old at home. (great article)
I will also be taking a look at some of the books you recommended and must say I agree with Goodnight Moon. Read it to my toddler every night for a year and he loved it!
Yes, toddlers are known for destroying books. Everything ends up in their mouths. I am so glad you found this post helpful. Please check soon as I strive to add more quality content.
It is impossible to overestimate the value of reading for our children. In addition to educational messages, reading helps children to develop listening skills, curiosity, and creating bonds with their parents (grandparents, siblings or any adult figure).
So many children nowadays spend a lot of time watching TV, youtube, playing video games, instead of reading. As a result, we are dealing with anxiety, depression, low self-esteem and lack of social skills. Thanks for sharing this information.
I couldn’t agree more. There is so much stimulation today, that it is hard to get kids to sit down and read. We started the day we brought our kids home from the hospital. I don’t think you can start too early. You are right, kids develop so many wonderful skills when you sit down and read to them. Thanks for your comment!
Reading this post brought back such sweet memories of reading to my girls! What a great list of books, some we read and some I hadn’t heard of. Sandra Boynton’s Barnyard dance was a favorite, I almost forgot about that book! Some of those books are in a box of other cherished items because they were so loved by my two girls. I highly recommend your choices too!
Thank you so much for your comment. These books are absolutely wonderful, I am glad you like the selection. Thanks again, and visit us again soon!