Short winter days mean longer, cozier evenings — the perfect time to curl up with your baby and a book. But which book should you choose? Board and wooden books that are easy for your baby to hold, are rich in color, and have large but limited text are best. And we’ve got a list of recommended titles from the Bright Horizons® Growing Readers program that will quickly become new favorites. Take a look:
One Foot, Two Feet, written and illustrated by Peter Maloney and Felicia Zekauskas: This counting-to-ten book introduces numbers and shows one object — a foot, a mouse, a goose — compared to a group of that same object.
Touch Think Learn: Shapes, written by Xavier Deneux: This colorful, interactive book takes babies on a hands-on, shape-filled adventure. As you read, you can help your baby trace each shape with his or her finger.
I Like Vegetables, written and illustrated by Lorena Siminovich: Explore vegetables of different shapes and colors, learn about opposites, and encourage your baby to discover each vegetable’s texture in this touch-and-feel book.
Little Bitty Friends, written by Elizabeth McPike; illustrated by Patrice Barton: The rhyming verses and vibrant illustrations will help introduce your baby to language concepts and elements of the natural world, such as ants, a caterpillar, and flowers.
Thank You!, written and illustrated by Ethan Long: “Bark, bark!” “Hum, hum!” This book includes fun, cartoon-like pictures of animals saying “thank you” in their own ways. Your baby will see different shapes, colors, and objects and will hear many different animal sounds.
Hello, Day!, written and illustrated by Anita Lobel: More animal sounds, combined with large, bright illustrations will introduce babies to meows, moos, and more.
Tuck Me In!, written by Dean Hacohen, illustrated by Sherry Scharschmidt: This is a great book to read with your little one before naptime or bedtime. Go through each page with your baby and fold over the blankets until all of the animals — the zebra, peacock, hedgehog, and more — are ready to go to sleep. As your baby gets older, encourage him or her to help you fold the blankets over. This book will introduce new animal names and will also help with fine motor development.
Peck, Peck, Peck, written and illustrated by Lucy Cousins: Babies will enjoy the bright colors and illustrations throughout this book, and they can stick their fingers through the holes made by pecking woodpeckers.
Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes, written by Mem Fox, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury: This book takes a rhythmic approach to introducing fingers and toes. Babies will see beautiful watercolor illustrations that mimic their own fingers, toes, and bodies, and they’ll hear different numbers, too.
Me Baby, You Baby, written and illustrated by Ashley Wolff: Rhyming phrases create a story of two mothers and their babies who start their day, get ready for an adventure, and head off to the zoo.
Machines at Work, written and illustrated by Byron Barton: This simple introduction to construction includes bold illustrations of big machines, a lot of color, and just a few words per page.
Reading with your baby can be a fun bonding experience for both of you, and it can boost brain and language development and spark a love of books, too. Get started with these 11 titles!
For more suggestions on what to add to your reading list, check out our Growing Readers Program!
