10 Board books my toddlers asked to read again and again (& make great baby gifts, too!)
We love books in our house! Preparing the nursery meant stocking up the little bookshelf, in addition to the changing table. We love trips to the library, but there are just some gems that are worth having in your home for read after read after read.
Here is an annotated list of 10 well-loved (& well-worn) books that my boys enjoyed on repeat:
This book encourages little ones to say “DADA” as there first word. As all the baby animals respond with their animal sounds, your little one will enjoy the humorous back and forth, as well as hearing you “moo” and “baa”.
This sequel to DADA introduces other basic words, while the baby animals only want to say “MAMA”. My boys both memorized this book before anything else and love to tell me they can “read” it on their own.
The creativity of the illustrations takes multiple reads to fully appreciate. Most pages have no words at all. This takes some creativity as you essentially *describe* the story to your toddler. But they love it!
If I’m being honest there were nights the boys wanted to read Good Night, Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann over and over, so much that my husband and I would hide it in hopes they’d pick another. (If this feels familiar to you, check out my list of 15 Books I Personally Enjoy Reading to My Kids)
Delightful rhymes about a grumpy fish who receives a little kindness and a change in perspective. The rhyming has a wonderful cadence and is very sing-songy.
This is my youngest son’s favorite. The rhymes are smooth and the animal sounds are always a hit. In addition, it has a great lesson around general courtesy and humility as you interact with strangers.
This is my eldest son’s favorite. He still asks to read it regularly at 4 years old. The rhyming and storyline are clever. The repetitive nature allows your kiddo to catch on quickly and the story encourages counting in a very organic way.
It’s a timeless classic that needs no introduction. Counting, Colors, Fruits, Nature…the themes in this short little book are many, and focus will appear to shift as your baby grows and rereads. There’s also a great lesson to be had about eating too many good things all at once and getting a tummy ache.
This book is so simple. The anticipation makes my little one giggle. Then over time it becomes a bit of a call and response with your toddler. The mirror at the end excites my son every. single. Read.
This is our family favorite. It was the first book to make each of my sons laugh as babies. There’s something about the ridiculous lullaby that comes through to the kids, even as infants. All of Sandra Boynton’s books have a silly element but this one tops them all.
A final classic with little summary necessary. This was a favorite of mine as a toddler, so reading it to my sons is extra special. Added bonus of encouraging memorization at an early age: as your toddler begins to predict what animal comes next through repetition.
I would personally avoid the “Slide and Find” version of Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? which lets you peek at the next page. Not only does it take away from the expectancy of the story…it’s also annoying to have to close each slot before or after reading.
I also have an awesome resource library containing literally everything we’ve used to give our family a love for reading—our favorite books, resources, toys, and more!
Check it out!
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How to Place Books at the Center of Your Child’s Entertainment
4 Steps to Prepare Your Child to Learn to Read (and What to Use When They’re Ready)
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