Board books are an important part of every home library with their sturdier format for little hands that are still learning how to handle books. I have a basket in our family room that we keep full of just board books and my kids and any other kids visiting us are all free to play with them without worry. When my kids are in the toddler phase they often bring a couple into bed with them to read before they falls asleep and after they wake up.
These have been the favorite board books in our house:
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Every baby needs at least one touch and feel book!
Itsy Bitsy Spider Finger Puppet Book (or any other story in same format)
My kids have lots of fun trying to grab my finger in the puppet and being tickled with it. It’s a great one to start with babies and still enjoy as toddlers.
Indestructibles series illustrated by Amy Pixton
This series is perfect for babies and toddlers who are still very rough with books. They look like a paper book but are rip proof, water proof, safe, and even washable! My baby is loving these books right now and they keep her very entertained! I have been keeping one in my diaper bag regularly.
Blue Hat, Green Hat by Sandra Boyton (and all of the author’s other books as well)
When I first read this book on my own I didn’t think was anything too special, but then I read it with a little kid and they thought it was hilarious and absouletly loved it. I have seen many, many giggles over this book.
Peek-a-Who? by Elsa Mroziewicz
This beautifully designed board book allows you to unfold triangular flaps to see which animal was making the sound. My kids love this one!
Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed by Eileen Christelow
This one is always a huge hit with my kids that never gets old. It’s one of the first stories/songs that they started retelling on their own. There are several fun sequels as well.
Five Little Ducks by Raffi
My toddler aged kids always find this one at the library and check it out again and again.
Baby Einstein My First Library Set
I got this set when my oldest son was a baby and it has got SO much love through the years. I think my kids love the small size that fit in their tiny hands so well. I usually have one or two of these thrown in my diaper bag or purse.
Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell
This was my daughter’s first favorite book as a baby/toddler. She found it at the library every time we went. When we had maxed out the renewals on it and I tried to return it in the book slot, she grabbed the book and ran for the library door! Luckily her aunt took pity on her and sent her a copy of her own. My daughter’s second birthday party was inspired by the book- a “Being Two is a Zoo!” party
Little Blue Truck by Alice Shertle
This is one of our all time favorite children’s books! The text flows really well for reading aloud and there is a great message of friendship.
Baby series by Leslie Patricelli
My kids have loved all of the books in this series. My daughter instantly recognizes the baby on the cover and loves picking them out at the library. They have very simple and fun story lines, but they always appeal to kids and my kids have actually learned some good lesson from talking about them.
B is for Bear by Roger Priddy
My friend gave this to my son for his 1st birthday and it has been read many, many times since then by both of my kids. It’s great for teaching letters while also being interactive with the touch and feel elements. And it’s a little bigger size than most board books.
Ten Little Ladybugs by Melanie Gerth
The ladybugs count down as one is taken away on each page. I really like how the ladybugs are raised off the page for kids to touch as they count.
Mini Myth board book series by Joan Holub
This series is so cute and creative! My son got really into these books when he was two and I was totally on board because I thought they were so awesome. Each book tells the story of a Greek myth in a very simplified and modernized way. It’s so impressive how the creative stories can be told in such few words. There is a paragraph summarizing the original myth in the back. There are several more books in the series and you can see some of the characters cross over in some of the books.
Who am I? series by DK Publishing
I love the way these books are made- it makes the books very entertaining while also teaching kids a lot. It has little holes to give a peep of the animal along with clues like foot prints and animal sounds to help each the child what animal it is. When my son was a young toddler he read the Farm Animals one all the time and when I needed to choose just a couple books to take on a flight to entertain him this was my definite first choice!
The Doghouse by Jan Thomas
My daughter has picked this one up from the library so many times we should probably just buy it. It’s a clever and funny story that is always a lot of fun to read.
My Truck is Stuck by Kevin Lewis and Daniel Kirk
This rhyming book is a lot of fun- especially for vehicle lovers!
Chugga-Chugga Choo-Choo by Kevin Lewis and Daniel Kirk
The rhythmic text makes a great read aloud and the detailed illustrations are fun for kids to pore over.
There are a lot of different books in this series that each features a theme from a classic novel while teaching a concept like colors, shapes, counting, etc. My daughter has really liked all of the ones we’ve read and it’s fun for me to read her books that have elements of stories I love.
I’m the Biggest Thing in the Ocean by Kevin Sherry
I have read this one to my kids as a picture book many, many times so I was excited when I found the board book version for a bargain price. It’s a really fun, simple story which all teaches size differentiation and has a really funny ending.
And then there are several classics we love like Mr. Brown Can Moo, The Foot Book, Brown Bear, Brown Bear, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and Hand, Hand, Fingers Thumb.
You can save this list to refer back to again later by pinning it!
