From Bedtime Stories to Bilingual Tales: Our Best Baby Book Picks

A quick look at the best baby books

• Best educational baby books: Baby Loves Gravity!, Rocket Science for Babies, My First ABC — The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Daytime Nighttime, Little Quack Loves Colors
• Best bilingual baby books: La oruga muy hambrienta / The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Quiero a mi papa porque… / I Love My Daddy Because…, Fix It! / ¡A reparar!, ¡Fiesta!, The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and The Big Hungry Bear / El ratoncito, la fresa roja y madura, y el fran oso hambriento, Red Racer Presents ABCs of Racing My First Guide to Formula 1 Racing
• Best historical baby books: Maya: My First Maya Angelou, Ali: My First Muhammad Ali, The Life of / La vida de Selena, The Story of Rap
• Best interactive baby books: I Love You All Day Long, If I Were a Monkey, You Are My Work of Art, Harold and the Purple Crayon, Visiting — Visitando La Granja, Who Said Moo?
• Best baby books for diversity: Baby Dance and Mindful Day
• Best classic baby books: Richard Scarry’s Trucks, There’s a Wocket in My Pocket!, Are You My Mother?, The Giving Tree, Goodnight Moon
• Best for bedtime stories: Little Blue Truck, Guess How Much I Love You, On the Night You Were Born, Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site, Little Rabbit Waits for the Moon
• Best books for babies under 6 months: Look, Look! and Twinkle, Twinkle, Unicorn
• Best books that teach lessons: Don’t Touch My Hair, Off to School, Never Let a Unicorn Scribble, Who Done It?

Benefits of starting the reading habit early

“It might seem like very young babies aren’t paying attention when you read to them, but reading to them from a young age has a wide range of benefits. These go beyond just bonding and are more than that.”

Language development

Babies learn by mimicking those around them. So, exposing them to words — especially when they’re hearing them from a trusted source like a parent or caregiver — can help them develop the skills they need to talk. By the time a baby reaches the age of 1, they’ve learned all the sounds needed to speak their native language.

Accelerated learning

Research has shown that children who are regularly read to tend to know more words than children who aren’t. And consistently reading encourages a child to learn to read within the suggested developmental milestone time frame. So your little baby Einstein will head to school set up for success!

Social cues

Babies are read to learn about social signals as you use different emotions and sounds to narrate a story. They will be better able to understand how to interact with others and support their emotional development.

How we chose the baby books on this list

Every family has their own needs and should bring books into their home to meet them. We asked our Healthline staff and families to poll them to create a list of books that are fun to read for caregivers and baby.

You’ll note that the majority of the books we selected are board books. We probably don’t have to tell you — children can be rough with items. Sturdier books give little ones the freedom to easily flip through the pages whenever they like and for years to come.

Our age recommendations are only suggestions. Many books that are intended for older babies or toddlers may still be engaging for the younger set. You can find alternate language editions for many of the classic books on our list.

Here are some of our favorites.

Pricing guide

• $ = under $10
• $$ = $11–$20
• $$$ = over $20

Healthline Parenthood’s picks of the best baby books

Best educational baby books

Baby Loves Gravity!

• Price: $
• Age: 1–4 years
• Author: Ruth Spiro
• Publish date: 2018

The Baby Loves Science series is called “Baby Loves Gravity!” The board book is easy to read and breaks down the scientific concept of gravity. The brightly colored pages will make little ones happy.

Rocket Science for Babies

• Price: $
• Age: 1–4 years
• Author: Chris Ferrie
• Publish date: 2017

It is never too early to encourage your child to learn about science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics. The Baby University board book series is called “Rocket Science for Babies” and it covers the topic of aerospace engineering. This book is a great way to help your baby understand rocket science.

My First ABC — The Metropolitan Museum of Art

• Price: $$
• Age: 0+
• Author: The New York Metropolitan Museum of Art
• Publish date: 2002

“Help baby learn their ABCs by showing them a picture of an icon like a painting. The board book has detailed images that help encourage a love of reading, and your child will enjoy flipping through the pages even when you aren’t reading to them.”

Daytime Nighttime

• Price: $
• Age: 0–2 years
• Author: William Low
• Publish date: 2015

“Who doesn’t like animals? The board book will give your tot one of their first introductions to wildlife and will show them which animals are active at night and which are not. The illustrations are realistic and the text is simple, which will keep young babies engaged.”

Little Quack Loves Colors

• Price: $
• Age: 1–4 years
• Author: Lauren Thompson
• Publish date: 2009

Word and color association are some of the biggest draws for this board book. Your toddler will learn how to tell colors apart by reading the shade of the color. Simple sentences will help older babies.

Best bilingual baby books

La oruga muy hambrienta / The Very Hungry Caterpillar

• Price: $
• Age: 1–4 years
• Author: Eric Carle
• Publish date: 2011

This classic has been turned into a bilingual board book that teaches your child English and Spanish. Children are helped understand numbers and fruits by the colorful drawings and descriptions. The dual languages on each page make it easy for caregivers to read this fan favorite.

Quiero a mi papa porque… / I Love My Daddy Because…

• Price: $
• Age: 1–4 years
• Author: Laurel Porter-Gaylord
• Publish date: 2004

“The board book features cute baby animals. It is relevant to older babies and toddlers as they notice similarities between the animals’ lives and their own. The animals in the book are clearly labeled in English and Spanish to help your child learn.”

Fix It! / ¡A reparar!

• Price: $
• Age: 1–4 years
• Author: Georgie Birkett
• Publish date: 2013

The Helping Hands book series teaches little ones how to fix broken toys and batteries. Simple sentences in both English and Spanish make it easy to learn Spanish vocabulary words.

While this book discusses replacing batteries, batteries and other small pieces should not be accessible to your children as they can be a hazard.

¡Fiesta!

• Price: $
• Age: 6 months+
• Author: Ginger Foglesong Guy
• Publish date: 2007

“Getting ready for a party is easy. The bilingual counting book will show you and your kids how to count things in a group. This easy-to- follow story helps build your child’s Spanish language vocabulary and learning how to count.”

The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and The Big Hungry Bear / El ratoncito, la fresa roja y madura, y el fran oso hambriento

• Price: $
• Age: 6 months+
• Author: Don and Audrey Wood
• Publish date: 1997

This book is a fan favorite because it is bilingual and hardback, and also because it is cute. Your little ones will be excited as you show them the adventures of a daring mouse who must hide their strawberry bounty from a hungry bear. Everyone will love the illustrations and you will be relieved as the mouse gets to enjoy the sweet rewards.

Red Racer Presents ABCs of Racing My First Guide to Formula 1 Racing

• Price: $$
• Age: 2–6 years
• Author: Andy Amendola
• Publish date: 2022

Sports fans will be happy with this twist on the ABCs. The cute version of the alphabet book introduces concepts like STEM early on, which is similar to the concept of A is for aerodynamics. This book is available in both English and Spanish. Racing fans will appreciate the vivid illustrations and parents will love the way they are written.

Best historical baby books

Maya: My First Maya Angelou

• Price: $
• Age: 18 months+
• Author: Lisbeth Kaiser
• Publish date: 2018

It can be difficult to introduce young children to historical figures. The Little People, Big Dreams story series has two options for every historical figure. The board books are perfect for introducing your child to important people like the poet and civil rights activist Maya Angelou, along with their diverse background and how they shaped our pop culture and shared history.

Ali: My First Muhammad Ali

• Price: $
• Age: 18 months+
• Author: Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara
• Publish date: 2020

How do you tackle a peaceful protest and the flamboyant personality of some of the most influential and prolific figures? Little People, Big Dreams has a book that covers both the transition from Cassius Clay to Muhammad Ali and how he continued to inspire those around him after his retirement from boxing.

The Life of / La vida de Selena

• Price: $
• Age: 1–4 years
• Author: Patty Rodriguez and Ariana Stein
• Publish date: 2018

“Selena Quintanilla is a well-known Latina music artist. The Queen of Tejano is a simple board book to teach your child. This book is easy to read for your little one and highlights Selena’s impact on her industry and fans.”

The Story of Rap

• Price: $
• Age: 0–3 years
• Author: Editors of Caterpillar Books
• Publish date: 2019

If you are a serious rap fan, you have probably been introducing your baby to the greatest hits since they were still in the womb. The Story of Rap is a cute, kid-friendly introduction to the history of rap music. You will see icons from both Jay Z and Emmitt in the pages.

Best interactive baby books

I Love You All Day Long

• Price: $$$
• Age: 6 months+
• Author: Ana Martín-Larrañaga (illustrator)
• Publish date: 2012

The book “I Love You All Day Long” is the perfect book for babies. The play pieces that can be slipped into the pocket on each page make the full-color pages even better. The only challenge will be figuring out which baby play piece is better.

The play pieces are attached to the book by a string, but it is important to make sure they are securely attached to prevent a choking risk.

If I Were a Monkey

• Price: $$
• Age: 0–5 years
• Author: Anne Wilkinson

“The Jellycat series board books are perfect for babies. Your little one will love touching the various texture on the colorful page as they learn about the monkey’s body.”

You Are My Work of Art

• Price: $$
• Age: 2–5 years
• Author: Sue DiCicco
• Publish date: 2011

This loveable tale helps children to understand that being unique is okay. They will love the interactive and colorful pages that encourage them to open flaps and you will appreciate that they are being exposed to some of the most famous artwork of the 20th century.

Harold and the Purple Crayon

• Price: $$
• Age: 1 year+
• Author: Crockett Johnson
• Publish date: 2015

Children have very creative imaginations even at a young age. A small child is followed as he uses an oversized purple crayon to create amazing backdrop that turns into exciting adventures. The engaging plot will help draw in young readers, even though the artwork is not as colorful as some others.

Visiting – Visitando La Granja

• Price: $$
• Age: 1 year+
• Author: Binibi
• Publish date: 2021

The cute little board book, “Visiting – Visitando La Granja”, is a bilingual and interactive book. Little ones will be able to say popular farm animal names in both English and Spanish. They can also push the button on the page to hear the cute farm animal sounds. Choose from animals. There are songs too. The page buttons encourage fine motor skill development.

Who Said Moo?

• Price: $
• Age: 0–2 years
• Author: Yi-Hsuan Wu
• Publish date: 2020

Encourage your little one to reenact their favorite farm animal sounds in the story. Children can feel different textures and hear different sounds with each page, as they try to figure out which animal should be matched with which sound. The last page has a kid-safe mirror so babies can practice their sounds.

Best baby books for diversity

Baby Dance

• Price: $
• Age: 0–2 years
• Author: Ann Taylor
• Publish date: 1998

The book shows a scenario that many parents can relate to, where a baby is distressed when a parent is sleeping. The illustrations complement the lyrics from the 19th century poet Ann Taylor. The book is about the relationship between a father and daughter.

Mindful Day

• Price: $$
• Age: 2–5 years
• Author: Deborah Hopkinson
• Publish date: 2020

“Although this is one of the few nonboard books on our list, we think the simplistic yet important messaging of being aware and enjoying the moment are important lessons that can’t be taught early in life. The calming text and illustrations will help baby and parents enjoy those final moments before they drift off to sleep.”

Best classic baby books

Richard Scarry’s Trucks

• Price: $
• Age: 0–2 years
• Author: Richard Scarry
• Publish date: 2015

This trip will be fun for parents who grew up in the world of Richard Scarry. The simplistic text and colorful illustrations of Trucks are perfect for younger babies with short attention spans.

There’s a Wocket in My Pocket!

• Price: $$$
• Age: 0–4 years
• Author: Dr. Seuss
• Publish date: 1996

The book is a fun rhyming book that introduces your little one to wordplay and word associations. The illustrations will bring joy to both you and your child, and encourage a love of reading.

Are You My Mother?

• Price: $
• Age: 1–5 years
• Author: P.D. Eastman
• Publish date: 1998

Help small children learn to distinguish between different objects and animals with this hilariously fun classic — in board book form! Little tykes will love the expressive baby bird as he tries to find his mother. A bonus is that this book is also available in a Spanish board book.

The Giving Tree

• Price: $
• Age: 3–8 years
• Author: Shel Silverstein
• Publish date: 1964

An oldie but a good one, “The Giving Tree” teaches us about love as an ant-like tree does her best to give everything he needs to be happy. We learn about enduring friendship as the little boy continues to return to his beloved tree at every significant life stage. Younger toddlers might be interested in the simple language and vivid illustrations of the book.

Goodnight Moon

• Price: $$
• Age: 0–5 years
• Author: Margaret Wise Brown
• Publish date: 2007

This classic tale is now available in board book form to help new parents create a routine for their children. The illustrations on the page are full of color and will make children happy. As they build new memories, parents will love reliving a bit of nostalgia with their child.

Best for bedtime stories

Little Blue Truck

• Price: $
• Age: 0–3 years
• Author: Alice Schertle
• Publish date: 2015

While this is one of the longer board books in terms of actual words per page, even young babies will love listening to their parents mimic the sound of Little Blue Truck (beep, beep, beep) and his farm animal friends. The colorful illustrations engage little ones while you’ll appreciate that the underlying message of helping your neighbors is being reinforced at an early age.

Guess How Much I Love You

• Price: $$
• Age: 6 months+
• Author: Sam McBratney
• Publish date: 2008

In this book, Little Nutbrown Hare and Big Nutbrown Hare try to prove how much they love each other. The storyline of Little Nutbrown Hare is cute and will be great for toddlers. This is a book that your baby will love.

On the Night You Were Born

• Price: $
• Age: 1–4 years
• Author: Nancy Tillman
• Publish date: 2010

It can be hard to know how much you love someone, but this book can help you put that love into perspective. The illustrations are colorful and the text is soothing, which will help your baby sleep soundly.

Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site

• Price: $$
• Age: 1–6 years
• Author: Sherri Duskey Rinker
• Publish date: 2011

Learning to work together is a lesson we try to teach our children. The perfect night companion for little ones that are obsessed with trucks is “Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction site”. The illustrations, animated trucks, and rhythmic text make this a fan favorite, even though it is a bit longer than other choices.

Little Rabbit Waits for the Moon

• Price: $$
• Age: 2–6 years
• Author: Beth Shoshan, Stephanie Peel
• Publish date: 2011

“The moon is a special time in the night, but the little rabbit is worried that it won’t watch over him while he sleeps. He goes looking for the moon and finds a lot of natural wonders that can help him. He realized that he might never find the moon but he wouldn’t give up hope. The moon found him sleeping in a meadow. This is a great story to help little ones relax.”

Best books for babies under 6 months

Look, Look!

• Price: $
• Age: 0–1 year
• Author: Peter Linenthal
• Publish date: 1998

The book is black and white and has a high contrast. The friendly faces and short text will help to make newborns feel at ease. You will enjoy starting new traditions with your newest addition.

Twinkle, Twinkle, Unicorn

• Price: $
• Age: 0–4 years
• Author: Jeffrey Burton
• Publish date: 2019

The story of a young girl playing with her friends in the woods is told in the classic nursery rhyme “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.” You can even use the book to help your child fall asleep.

Best books that teach lessons

Don’t Touch My Hair

• Price: $
• Age: 2–6 years
• Author: Sharee Miller
• Publish date: 2019

It might seem difficult to discuss personal autonomy and micro-aggressions with toddlers and preschoolers. The idea that small children have the right to decide what happens to their bodies is reinforced by the fact that “Don\’t Touch My Hair” addresses both topics. The book addresses society\’s obsession with Black hair, but it also emboldens children of all races by letting them know that they have the right to refuse to be touched.

Off to School

• Price: $
• Age: 3–7 years
• Author: Sesame Workshop
• Publish date: 2015

It can be hard for children that weren\’t in day care to start school. Elmo is the main character in the film “Off to School.” Elmo is preparing for and experiences his first day of school. He shows how to manage first-day jitters and how fun school can be, making it a must-read for all pre-school parents.

Never Let a Unicorn Scribble

• Price: $
• Age: 3–6 years
• Author: Diane Alber
• Publish date: 2019

Creativity and imagination are interdependent. The book is a great way to encourage your children to be artistic. When coloring time goes awry, the little girl learns that scribbling is a good thing and can lead to beautiful masterpieces.

Who Done It?

• Price: $$
• Age: 2–4 years
• Author: Olivier Tallec
• Publish date: 2015

“Get your child interested in asking questions and using logic to figure out the answers. The book has simple questions that children will be asked if they look at the pictures. If you pay attention to the accompanying pictures, you can answer the questions of who didn’t get enough sleep or who forgot their swimsuit. The book is a fun way for children to learn a new game.”

How to choose the best baby book

Most experts agree that reading to your children and starting early is the most important thing to do. Picking age-appropriate books is going to be important if you want to keep your kids engaged. You might want to consider other factors when shopping for books.

Durability

Babies, toddlers, and even some preschoolers are rough on items in news. Picking paperback or hardback books with thin pages might not be wise in the beginning. If you are concerned about them ripping pages or drooling all over them, you should choose a board book or even bath-safe books in the beginning.

Word count

The younger your child is, the less attention span you will have. Books geared toward infants tend to have less words on the page and prefer bolder illustrations that fill the space. As your child gets older, you can choose books with more plot to keep them interested.

Purpose

We know that the basic purpose is reading. Think about what you want to do with the book. Are you teaching another language? If you are interested in learning more about that language, you want a book that shows proper pronunciation. If you want to make a book that is easy to understand for younger people, you need a book that takes difficult subject matter and makes it easy to understand.

Age appropriateness

If you wanted to read J.R.R. Tolkien to a baby, you should do it early on. It is not certain whether they will understand what is happening.

When shopping, we recommend looking for books that are appropriate for your age. Most bookstores will list a recommended age range for each book. This is a general guide and not a hard requirement. You will find books that cover a wider age range in our recommendations. A book that is too advanced for your child might be just right.

Illustrations

We are all visual creatures. Babies and toddlers who might not be ready to recognize simple words need visuals.

Conventional wisdom says that books with black and white illustrations are best for very young babies because of their limited vision skills. It doesn\’t mean you have to give up “Goodnight Moon” or “Green Eggs and Ham” just because color recognition hasn\’t kicked in yet. A good reading voice and vibrant illustrations can make reading time more engaging for older tots.

Frequently asked questions

When should you start reading books to a baby?

The answer is that it is never too soon to start. You could start reading to your baby while you are still carrying them. The focus is on bonding with your baby. Experts agree that starting around 4 months of age will ensure that an interest in reading will continue, as well as create a ritual of reading together.

Babies learn to talk by listening to people around them. The earlier you start talking to them, the better.

How do you clean baby books?

This is dependent on the book you have. The delicate nature of Paperback books makes them the hardest to clean. It is advisable to not get the pages wet so as to avoid permanent damage.

You can wipe the covers with a damp cloth and then use a dry cloth or paper towel to prevent damage to the book.

Board books are the easiest to clean. Their design is more durable than the other book styles. You can wipe the pages clean with a damp cloth soaked in a cleaning solution, and then dry them with a dry cloth.

How should you organize baby books?

Baby books are organized by preferences in your household. Some people prefer to organize by age and stage, while others prefer to organize by subject matter and author name. Others like to organize by color.

“The go-to books that capture your child’s attention the most are the ones that are organized together. You can keep stories in the living room, but you can also keep them in the nursery. bookshelves should always be anchored to the wall to prevent falls”

The takeaway

“If you haven’t started reading to your child yet, you should because they’re never too young! Anything can be fun if you have a voice that is animated.”

Set aside time before bed to read and help your child get on the path of learning.