Starting Your Baby's Library

Last weekend I went to Maryland to visit my BFF and her two month old baby boy. It was really fun and one of the things we did while I was there was drive to DC to see the famous bookstore Politics and Prose (where I also got to finally meet Teresa of Shelf Love -- yay!). While we were there, my friend said that she needed to start getting books for her boy's library. I bought one book for him and then said I would make a list of books I would suggest for a baby/toddler library. Well, why not make that list on the blog, right?

Note: All of these are board books. Though some board books are edited down for the format, they are the only thing worth buying if you are going to let your kid put their own hands on the books. Regular books will be torn within minutes, if not seconds. Board books are sturdy and grubby-hand-resistant and even hold up well to some chewing on the corners.

The book I bought without a second thought was

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

Everybody loves The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Z even has a plush caterpillar that he got in an Easter basket one year.

Peek-a-Who? by Nina Laden

Any book that has cut-outs and a mirror at the end will be a big favorite with young book-lookers.

Good Night, Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann

This book has very few words but lots of story. It's sweet and funny and I like it better than Goodnight Moon.

Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman

This is a classic and is just right for the little ones when it's in board book form.

Yummy Yucky by Leslie Patricelli

This board book is the perfect way to teach your kid that some things are food and some things are not. They will still end up with some hideously inappropriate items in their exploring mouths but that's childhood!

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle

This is the first book that Z read aloud on his own, just weeks after he turned three. I credit the great rhythm of the story and the easy concepts of colors and animals. Remind me some day to share the video we took of him reading this. It's adorable! Also, any of the books in this series are worth getting. The others are Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear?, Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See? and Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What Do You See?.

The Monster at the End of This Book by Jon Stone

This one probably isn't a book to read with your baby but toddlers love the build up and they'll especially be amused when you break out your best Grover voice.

Dear Zoo: A Lift-the-Flap Book by Rod Campbell

This one will need either a bit of supervision or have to wait for the older toddler years or else it will quickly become a flapless book. But Z was careful and he loved this book about choosing the right pet.

Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion and Margaret Bloy Graham

This was one of my favorite books as a kid and the board book version is fun. Any kid who has watched mom or dad try and wrangle the family dog into a bath will love it.

I could keep going with a big list of every other Eric Carle board book, tons of Dr. Seuss titles, the other Leslie Patricelli ones or any of the Roger Priddy books that are so bright and colorful and great for introducing "firsts" but I'll stop here.

Which board books do you think are must haves for a baby/toddler library?


Feeling a bit nostalgic,
K