16 of Our Favorite Board Books

One of the very first things I remember doing with both of my boys was reading to them. Once they got to the other side of that 8 month sleep regression and finally settled into a routine, I read books to them every night. I also read tons of books during the day. I read to them all the time it seems and a lot of my favorite memories of my boys revolve around reading to them. Here's a list of some of our favorite baby and toddler board books (that would make GREAT Christmas presents, by the way). 

One of our very favorite children's authors is Caroline Jayne Church. She has books that are lyrics to some of our favorite lullabys and also some books that she wrote herself. The illustrations are so cute too. 

Ten Tiny Toes is a great book to read at bedtime. It's also a fun way to start learning anatomy. I used to read this to Cocoa Puff every night at bedtime, and as I'd read the words, I'd also tickle the part of his body that I read. Mouth, ears, eyes, nose, arms, belly, legs, and ten tiny toes! It is so cute. 

Goodnight, I Love You is another of Cocoa Puff's bedtime books. It goes through a bedtime routine for two little kids in the cutest way. 

Oh, this one is one of my very favorites. How Do I Love You tries to explain how a parent loves their child by using nature and other analogies. 

No, this is not the lyrics to the Guns N Roses song. Instead, Sweet Child of Mine is a super powerful, emotional story of how a parent's love never ends. 

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star follows the lyrics to the classic lullabye with the cutest illustrations. This was a bedtime book for Froot Loop for years and it also helped him learn to read. 

You are my Sunshine is another bedtime book I read to Froot Loop for years. It is the lyrics to the lullabye. This song was the very first one I sang to my boys after they were born and is always my go-to for when they need comfort. 

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A super fun and educational book is the Tabbed Books: My First Colors. I wrote a full review of it as well as the other books in the collection HERE. In brief, there's a color for each page and it's a great way to learn colors. 

Go, Dog, Go is a board book that is an abbreviated version of the full book by P.D. Eastman. It's so fun and so cute and also is a great book for beginning readers. Go, dogs, go! Our favorite part of the book is the very end where everyone arrives at the dog party! I must have read this book to the boys hundreds of times and they still request it over and over. 

My Big Animal Book by Roger Priddy is a great book for even the youngest babies. There's colorful pictures and tons of them. It's a great way to introduce vocabulary to toddlers as well. There's other books in the series for trucks, dinosaurs, and more. 

First 100 Words is a smaller Priddy book. This is the book that I always took with us anywhere we went because there was such a variety of things in it. There was colors, numbers, shapes, animals, environment, and times of the day. It's fantastic as a shower gift or as baby's first Christmas present. 

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Sandra Boynton is a very popular children's author. We have many, many of her books. Are You a Cow? is our favorite, especially Cocoa Puff. It goes through the book, asking if you're this animal or that animal, before finally settling on you being you. We used to laugh and laugh and make the noises of the animals on the page. 

1,2,3, Texas is a great way to introduce counting. I read 1,2,3 San Antonio to Froot Loop so many times that he had it memorized by the time he finally learned to talk. There's lots of the 1,2.3 books out there. We also have the Zoo and USA books. 

Yum Yum Dim Sum is a World Snacks book. We were given all of the books in the series last Christmas. They are a lot of fun and it's a cool way to introduce culture to your kiddos. Each book features a country and their snacks. There's Mexico, Italy, China, Japan, Israel, Germany, and others. Some of the words are hard to pronounce, but it's a lot of fun to read together. 

Good Night Baby Jesus is one of MANY books in the Good Night series. This one goes through the Nativity scene and says goodnight to all of the characters. Other books in the series are Texas, San Antonio, Austin, the Beach, the Ocean, Mountains, World, Night Sky, and many many many more. You are sure to find one you love for your family. 

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Finally, we have a couple of books from our other favorite children's author: Sandra Magsamen. Both of these books are books I read to my boys at bedtime. She has a lot of books that are made for holidays. Some of the books have plush parts. Some have bendable ears. All are adorable and very well illustrated. 

It may have been post pregnancy hormones, but I cried the first time I read I Ruff You to Froot Loop. It goes through the different times a parent loves their child, like in the morning, at night, and how we love every part of our kiddos. 

I Love You Snugglesaurus is one of the most adorable books I've ever seen. I had to buy it for Cocoa Puff because I've called him my Snugglesaurus since practically day one. It's also a fun way to encourage clapping and stomping and singing, and of course, snuggling!

Finally, you'll need a place to put all of your new books. We have one of these Tot Tudors Book Racks for the boys and it's a great way for them to easily store and retrieve their favorite books. 

So there you have it. Here is a small sampling of our favorite books. There's sure to be something here for just about every baby or toddler, and this is a great way to check off that "something to read" present. 

This Gift Guide is in participation with a Gift Guide Blog Hop. For the full list of gift ideas for babies and toddlers, click here.

What was the last book you read?