Board Books for Babies that Stand the Test of Time

As we move back into our house at the tail-end of renovations, I am re-organizing (and purging) my kids rooms. It feels time to get rid of the remaining baby books (my kids are 5&8 after all) but in all fairness, my daughter still reads them, and as she is an new reader – they are just perfect for her. So I’m keeping them around a bit longer.

I thought I’d write a post about which baby board books have stood the test of time in our home – which ones are my kids still reading 8 years after purchase. I hope if you’re looking to add to your young child’s (or grandchild’s) library, you might find this post helpful so you get quality board books that your kids will grow with instead of outgrow in a matter of months.

On this blog, I talk about living books – these are books that are excellent, that stand the test of time, are loved by generations, and are not torture to read-aloud to your child over and over again. Living books are well-written, have beautiful illustrations in a variety of artistic styles, are written by a real author with a story to tell, and for the most part, are stories with characters and a plot.

Humans have been telling stories for thousands of years. It is a key way we learn language. We own one alphabet board book and no little baby dictionaries. I feel quite strongly that children can learn the names of things through story just as well as they can through a little baby dictionary and the stories will grow with your child. Board books that just list objects and their names (like ball, toy, bath etc) get old really fast and I think they are a waste of money. You can just as easily point to the actual objects in your home (or in the illustrations in your other books) and name them. Your child will outgrow baby dictionaries very soon, so I wouldn’t invest much money in them. Far better are the books your baby will still be reading and loving when they are 5 and learning to read for themselves. They are the books that have simple stories, rhymes, easy words, and are not too many pages.

I also would not underestimate babies and toddlers’ abilities to understand far more than we think they do. So often I see parents reading simplistic stories to their children that are far below their comprehension level and then wonder why their kid doesn’t like to listen to stories. They are boring! Nothing happens in them!

My list of recommendations below includes books that: 1) E ngaged my children (boy and girl) at different stages of development. 2) Weren’t a chore for me to read. 3) Taught other concepts in a by-the-way kind of way and complemented other activities we did together. I hope you find your next great read on this list!

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

The Very Hungry Caterpillar is exceptional for children’s literature. In just a few short words, Eric Carle communicates the metamorphosis of a caterpillar into a butterfly, teaches about the days of the week, counting, fruits, healthy foods and junk foods, and overindulgence. There’s a lot of content packed into such simple prose. Every home should have a copy of this book. We have turned to it many times over the years and have even raised our own butterflies and using this book as a science complement.

Bears and a Birthday by Shirley Parenteau, illustrated by David Walker

In my experience, babies love a good rhythm with repetition, and a song-like poetic quality to the words in a story. The Bears in Chairs series by Shirley Parenteau has a great rhythm when read out loud. We love this birthday one because it is all about preparing a birthday celebration for their friend. It’s nice to own a book featuring the ritual of birthdays.

Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman

This board book addresses the concept of hibernation and also has a really fun rhythm when read out loud and has a good example of onomatopoeia for older kids . I also love the illustrations.

Blue Hat Green Hat by Sandra Boynton

I think this is Sandra Boynton’s best book. In just a few simple words she teaches about colors, clothing, and how to dress appropriately. Toddlers find this book very funny, and preschoolers/kindergarteners discover they can “read” this book all by themselves, giving them a boost of confidence in reading as they dive into learning this difficult skill.

But Not the Hippopotamus by Sandra Boynton

My second favourite Sandra Boynton book is But Not the Hippopotamus. My kids have enjoyed it at every stage, and as an early reader, this book is great for rhyming word families – like rats in hats. It also gently addresses including others in play.

Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes

Nursery rhymes have been around in English for a long time, and for a good reason. They are perfect for introducing memorization, rhyming, and some more complex vocabulary. Nursery rhymes are referenced often in children’s programming and other stories, so learning them is also important for socialization and understanding cultural references.

The first set I recommend below is sadly out of print and only available on the used market. We loved it because the books are really small – just 2 inches by 2 inches – perfect for chubby little baby hands learning to hold books and turn pages. The rhymes are simple and short. The books stack like blocks. My daughter still uses them now as books for her 18-inch dolls and her teddy bears. As she learns to read, learning some sight words from the rhymes (repeating words like twinkle, twinkle) as well as sounding out the sounds to rhymes she knows well has helped her with success in learning to read. If you can find small books like this, I recommend a few in this scale and nursery rhyme books are perfect for this.

Mother Goose Box Set

Mother Goose by Mary Engelbreit

Another version of Mother Goose we really enjoy is the Mary Engelbreit version. I just love her illustrations.

We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury

This is a really fun story to read aloud because you get to make all sorts of onomatopoeia sounds along with the story. I always whisper the part at the end when they come into the cave and feel the bear and then I always scream “It’s a BEAR!” as the family tears back home and jumps into bed. The kids love it when you create this intrigue and excitement in your reading.

There is a lovely animated video of this show that is on some streaming services (as I write this it is on Amazon Prime video) and there is also this delightful performance of the story by the author Michael Rosen

Goodnight Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann

There are very few words in this book, great for early readers just learning how to recognize the words “good” and “night”. Much of the story is told through the pictures, and you can ask your toddler to tell you the story as they see it through the pictures.

Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell

Babies love repetition and they also love lift-the-flap books. We don’t have a ton of lift-the-flap because too often the flaps get ripped off, but it you’re going to own one – this one is a classic.

Where’s Spot? by Eric Hill

Spot’s mom is looking everywhere for him! Where is he? This book teaches important math (geometry) concepts like under, inside, beneath, and below.

I personally hold a special spot in my heart for this book because it is the first book I read by myself in French as a kid in french immersion school. My babies have loved it too, and I also own it in French to read it with my kids in my second language.

Ten Apples up on Top by Dr. Seuss

The board book version of this story is much shorter than the original Dr. Seuss book by the same title. I much prefer the shorter version for babies and toddlers. This board book teaches counting to ten. We used this book for years as my kids grew.

A fun activity to do alongside this book is to take your toddler/preschooler along with you to buy 10 apples (5 green, 5 red). Compare the 5 apples to the 5 fingers on each hand. Count the apples and the fingers up to ten. Stack the apples, roll the apples. Notice how 5 red apples and 1 green apple is 6. 5 red applies and 2 green apples is 7. 5 red apples and 3 green apples is 8…and so on to ten. Compare this to counting on your fingers. Have your child help you peel the apples (they should be very bruised by now). Cut the apples in half (if you cut the applies horizontally across the core, you will find a star hidden inside!), cut the apples in quarters. Slice the apples and make an apple crisp for dessert!

As a side note that is deserving of its own blog post, if you’d like more easy math ideas to do with preschoolers at home, I highly recommend Preschool Math at Home by Kat Snow.

Go Dog Go by Dr. Seuss

My babies loved this book, my toddlers loved this book, my preschoolers loved this book, and my early readers read this book all by themselves pretty early on in their reading journey. My kids love the picture of the dog party at the end.

I Went Walking by Sue Williams and Julie Vivas

This one has the repetition that babies love and encourages them to make smart guesses based on the illustrations of what’s coming in the following pages. Can you see the hints?

Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

People have a love/hate relationship with this book but it’s a classic for a reason. Some writers have ventured that this book is more of an incantation or a liturgical prayer than a story, and I would agree with that – it is a poem that rolls off the tongue and describes the ritual of saying goodnight to all the things in a child’s bedroom as part of a bedtime routine. There are plenty of bedtime books out there, but this one stands apart from the rest.

If you’re interested to read more about the author, Margaret Wise Brown and this book, check out this article by Amy Crawford.

B is for Bear by Roger Priddy

I said at the top of this post that we own one alphabet board book – and this is it. I like this one because when you read it out-loud, it has a good cadence, rhythm and rhyme. The illustrations feature real pictures of items, and it is also a touch-and-feel book. My babies loved the pictures in this book, but especially Y – “Y is for You, go on, take a look!” with a little mirror they could look in.

Hopefully this list has inspired you to invest in a baby’s library. Cultivating a love of reading in your home starts with great books that you enjoy reading to your child. I have not found any of the books on this list to be annoying and they have grown with my children and lasted us a long time. I hope you enjoy reading them too and get a long life out of your purchase!

Warmly,

-Heather

ps: This post contains Amazon affiliate links, from which I earn a commission on qualifying purchases. Thank you for supporting my blog and I genuinely hope you find some great books to read to your baby that will last them many years.

Enjoyed this post? Check out some of my other recent posts!

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• Kids Books About Compassion

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