Recommended Reading

Hi Friends,

Birth to Pre-school is an amazing time to share the love of reading with children.  “The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home” by Susan Wise Bauer and Jessie Wise states, “The best early teaching you can give your child is to immerse them in language from birth”. 

Reading to our newborns was one of my husband’s favorite activities to do with the baby.  It’s an excellent way for husbands or care takers to bond with newborns as moms are still taking a large role in caring and feeding.  Reading is a simple thing that will provide a soothing voice for the baby and an active role for dad to provide love and support for both mom and baby. 

Skin to skin reading the sports report or the latest news article is all it takes at this stage to begin a lifetime of bonding for dads to read and talk to their kids.  In time, sports reports gave way to board books, then short stories, then eventually the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings (age 11).  Children rarely get tired of spending quality time with parents reading aloud a good book especially if the pattern has been set at a young age. 

This resource shares with you some great reading resources to start reading with your baby. Book images in this post include amazon affiliate links and ads. I may receive commission from clicks or purchases from this site. Clicking on the book image will open a new tab for shopping books from this list. The book images also provide a reference for library browsing.

Here are 10 recommended board books for babies.

1. Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Eric Carle

This classing book by Eric Carle is nice and big.  It stands up to the beating that book loving kids will put it through.  The repetition and rhyme made this one of the first books our kids could read on their own.  The peek-a-boo guessing flap makes this book a fun interactive book for babies that are near walking and talking.

2. First 100 Words by Bright Baby

You might say that books like First 100 Words by Bright Baby is the first exposure to listicles.  This book is fun to read and look at the pictures.  This book is a great book to help parents begin to interactive with the book and the child as it doesn’t have a particular story it can be read and used in infinite ways.  Each 100 word listed has a corresponding picture which makes this book a great book to spend a lot of time just looking at the pictures and talking about them. 

3. The Going to Bed Book by Sandra Boynton

Can anyone pick their favorite Sandra Boynton book? There are so many great options that you really can’t go wrong with any of her books.  This one, “The Going to Bed Book” will always rank among my favorites.  The pictures are rhyme make this a consistent classic in the reading rotation. 

4. Guess How Much I Love You? By Sam McBratney

The sweetest story or love between two rabbits that was ever told.  The two rabbits try to out do each other in their description of love for each other.  It’s a great story with beautiful water color illustrations that helps us remember why we are doing the hard things, because love.  This story is a great bedtime read as its soothing flow and muted art help calm the mind and spirit. 

5. Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle

A motivational piece, Little Blue Truck by Alice Schetle is a modern day version of the book, “The Little Engine that Could”, by Watty Piper mixed with some Mr. Rodgers friendship making skills.  This fun and playful book teaches a great lesson in making friends and working to help others. It is also a great read for parents that like to add sound effects to really bring stories to life.

6. Mr. Brown Can Moo. Can You? By Dr. Suess

Another great sound effect book is a classic by Dr. Suess, “Mr. Brown Can Moo. Can You?”  No beginner book list is complete without a Dr. Suess book.  This one is a classic in the board book style and has less text than some of the other well known and loved Dr. Suess books. 

7. Put Me in the Zoo. By Robert Lopshire

A quick read if you are short on time, its been a long day, and you are just looking to get a little reading in.  This is a classic color recognition book.  The board book is a condensed version of the original story which makes it a great book for babies.  The original version is on the Mensa for Kids Excellence in Reading Program (Grades K-3) and is great for emerging readers.  

8. I Can! God Helps Me ABC by Debbie Anderson

This book is a little obscure and not on many mainstream board book lists.  In fact, I think this book is out of print.  However, I have added it on this list because it’s an ABC book.  Each page has a letter and describes fun things that children can do that start with each letter of the alphabet.  The book has a religious angle so if that’s not your jam you can skip it.  If it is your jam, this is a great confidence boosting book that explores feelings, creativity, imagination, and play.  The alphabet at the back of the book provides an additional opportunity to help kids learn the letters. 

9. Yummy Yucky by Leslie Patricelli

This book is just fun.  This is another book with plenty of rhythm and rhyme to help kids memorize words.  It’s fun to compare and contrast things that are yummy and things that are yucky.  Children can imagine what it would be like to eat the yummy food and the yucky thing.  This is another book that my children had memorized before they could really read.  

10. Are you my Mother? By P.D. Eastman

The tiny bird hatches from his egg and explores the world looking for his mother.  The bird has confidence that he has a mother and is unafraid to ask questions to all of the neighborhood to find the answer.  The repetition in this book is great for children.  A classic book for the bedtime reading rotation.  

Remember what Gretchen Rubin says, “The days are long but the years are short”.  Spend those long days reading and those moments will never be wasted.