Are you looking for the best baby books? Well, you’ve come to the right place. A book is a wonderful gift for a baby. Australian author Mem Fox recommends reading to your child from birth. Her book, ‘Reading Magic,’ explores how reading aloud to children increases their emotional understanding and intellect. In addition, reading to a child demonstrates that reading is enjoyable. Sharing stories together is also an opportunity to show them they are nurtured and loved. You can start reading to your child before they are born, so add a book to your baby shower shopping list as well!
Below you will find my list of the best baby books, which have been tried and tested on my own kids, as well as the many I have read in a childcare education setting. The best books for babies are board books. Though a newborn has little contact with a book other than looking at it, in just six months they are sure to be holding, chewing and drooling all over it, so it’s good to invest in something that is designed for this stage of life. Also, I recommend having a selection of picture books that can be kept away from teething gums but shared together as part of bedtime reading.
For this age group, look for books with repetition and rhyme, bright illustrations with high contrast and simple but lyrical language. Books with different textures are also highly appealing to this age group, so keep an eye out for felt and fabric books for that added sensory engagement. Especially consider board books, nursery rhyme collections and picture books.
Image by ParentiPakek from Pixabay
Best Baby Books – Board Books
This is Me by Sally Morgan
Welcome Child by Sally Morgan
My First Australian Books series by Bronwyn Bancroft
Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes by Mem Fox
Kissed by the Moon by Alison Lester
My First Colours by DK Books
Alphaprint series
My First Library by Wonderhouse
Our Birds by Brownyn Bancroft
Touch and Feel series by Little Hippo Books
Peekaboo Baby by Ingela P Arrhenius
Trucks and Things that Go by Priddy Books
Rescue Vehicles by BabyTouch
Cloth books by Lamaze
Best Baby Books – Nursery Rhyme Collections
The Big Book of Australian Nursery Rhymes by Frane Lessac
Mother Goose’s Nursery Rhymes Illustrated by Axel Scheffler
Mother Goose Treasury by Parragon Books
100 Favourite Nursery Rhymes by Usborne Books
A Boat of Stars: New Poems to Inspire and Enchant by HarperCollins
Image by StockSnap from Pixabay
Best Baby Books – Picture Books
My Sunbeam Baby by Emma Quay
I Just Couldn’t Wait to Meet You by Kate Ritchie
Welcome Baby to this World by Jess Rackyleft
Up and Down on a Rainy Day by Kat Apel
Where is the Green Sheep? by Mem Fox
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
Toddle Woddle by Julia Donaldson
Brown Bear Brown Bear What do You See by Bill Martin Jnr and Eric Carle
Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney
Image by Jill Wellington from Pixabay
I hope you enjoy finding these literary treasures to share with someone you love. Perhaps some will become treasured keepsakes that will be passed on to the next generation. Don’t forget to check out my other book lists, so you can continue to find books that appeal to the children in your life as they keep growing.
And don’t forget to check out my list of publications here.
If you have a favourite baby book that you’d like to recommend, click here to access my contact page. I’d love to hear from you. Also, don’t for get to sign up to my author newsletter.