Sunday, January 3, 2016

Tracy's Treasury of Sturdy Books for Babies & Toddlers


Today I'm sharing a book list that I've thought about posting for the last few years. It's been tested in our home and only the best-of-the best remain! Whether you're building your own family library or gift giving, these are our tried-and-true, absolute favorite book choices for the littlest readers. (Remember to grab a couple for baby shower gifts!) They all fit the following criteria:
  • They're sturdy (no paper pages) to better stand up to the rough handling from the littlest hands.
  • They're enjoyable. (That's important!) Some children's books are awkward to read or are... well... annoying. Those books don't stay on our shelf! If I'm going to read it 100 times, it's got to be enjoyable. Also, I'm pretty picky about quality children's books, and these make the cut. 
  • They've been absolutely loved by our four babies. 


Baby's First Books

Peek-a-Who? by Nina Laden - This book was literally loved to pieces by our babies! I have pictures of them reading it to themselves, cracking up. It has only one or two words per page, which is perfect for a first book so that Baby can keep turning pages quickly. We now have two copies of this book, and have purchased Grow Up! and Who Loves Baby? by the same author. 

Baby Animals Black & White by Phillis Limbacher Tildes - This is a wordless picture book that's perfect for newborns. Doctors say that babies don't develop color vision until about five months old, so the crisp black and white images in this book are ideal for the tiniest babies to focus on. 

Touch and Feel Books

Who Do You Love? by Margaret Wang - This is such a sweet, adorable book!! Unlike some touch and feel books, this one's "feel" spots are very large. 

Good Morning, Good Night by Teresa Imperato - This is one of our top bedtime books. 

Are You Ticklish? by Sam McKindry - This book and the previous two books are all adorably illustrated by the Melanie Mitchell. 

Hide and Seek Baby by Fiona Watt - Find baby's toes, nose, etc. in this cute touch and feel book. It's part of a Snuggletime Book Series

Finger Puppet Books

Little Ladybug - All three of our babies absolutely loved this finger puppet book! I saw when linking to it that there's an entire series with lots more animal finger puppet books in it that I'll have to check out for baby #4!


Fun Board Books 

Peek-a-Boo, I See Who? by Stephen Elkins - We love this cute book which is baby's first gentle introduction to bible characters. After hearing their description, baby peeks under a flap to see who the character is. I have the large hardcover, which has cardboard pages, but it's also available in a board book

Sometimes I Like to Curl Up In a Ball by Vicki Churchill - Our kids had great fun acting this book out as I read it.  

Ten Friendly Fireflies by Roseanne Thong - Count up to ten with this book of fireflies that light up! I'm surprised that we haven't worn the lights out yet. 

Ten Little Ladybugs by Melanie Gerth - Count down from ten as the ladybugs disappear one by one. The ladybugs are 3D for little fingers to touch. 

Silly Board Books

There's a Wocket in my Pocket and I'll Teach My Dog a Lot of Words by Dr. Seuss - These are both fun rhyming Dr. Seuss books. 

How do Dinosaurs Clean Their Rooms? by Jane Yolen - Our babies enjoyed these silly dinosaurs. 

Moo Baa La La La and The Going to Bed Book by Sandra Boynton - Our kids cracked up over these two books. 

Honorable Mention

Pat Them Gently by Melanie O'Brien - I recommend this book if you have a pet cat or dog that Baby needs to learn how to be gentle with. 

The Foot Book, The Tooth Book, The Eye Book Dr. Seuss's ABC - These are more rhyming little Dr. Seuss board books

Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney - This is a sweet story about how much a mother and baby bunny love each other. I think I appreciated it a little more than my kids did though, haha. 

Goodnight, My Love by Sandra Magsamen - This is another one of our bedtime books. 

Violet's House from Baby Einstein - This is an over-sized touch-and-feel book that has good textures to touch. 


Be sure to pin this post so you can come back when you need baby shower gift ideas! Happy reading!

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