Wondering what books to read to your baby? This list features 20 of 40 best books for babies under 1 broken down by category. Check my previous post to learn why these types of books interest babies.

40 Best Books for Babies Under 1: Part 1

Peekaboo Books / Books with Flaps

Peekaboo in the Jungle – a cute book showing jungle animals covering their eyes and when you open the flap, they’re performing an action—roaring, squawking, swinging, and yawning.

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Deep Sea Dive (Lift the Flap Adventures) – Deep Sea Dive celebrates marine life with colorful illustrations and fun facts about sea creatures. Each flap features a different animal and when you lift the flap, you see the animal interacting in its environment.

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Peek-a Who?  – A small, simple book with cutouts showing part of a scene; flip the page to reveal the scene. Holly said her third word—boo—while reading this book! One of the illustrations shows a bunch of floating eyes on a yellow background; when you turn the page, there’s a ghost and the word boo. I said, “Peek a” and paused and to my complete surprise Holly said, “Boo.”  

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Books that Rhyme

The Cat in the Hat – A Dr. Seuss classic about a cat entering a house while the mother is away and her two children are at home. Dr. Seuss’ books tap into children’s imagination with their whimsical, playful stories and lyrical, rhythmic words. They’re a pleasure for children and adults alike. 

Pierre – This book has been in my family for three generations. The book fits in the palm of your (adult) hand; its small size always drew me in and felt special. It’s a Maurice Sendak classic and teaches children that they should care. Young babies won’t understand the message yet; however, Holly finds it hysterical when I say in Pierre’s voice: “I don’t care.” It cracks her up.

Green Eggs and Ham – Most baby books are short and sweet since babies have short attention spans. However, babies love Dr. Seuss’ books even though they’re on the longer side. The colorful illustrations, the rhymes, and the sounds capture their attention. This classic is about a person who insists that he doesn’t like green eggs and ham, who realizes he actually does; he just had to try it.

High-Contrast Books

Hello, Animals – This black-and-white high contrast book features animals and has flashes of color throughout. The pictures dominate with very little text besides an introduction to the animals and the noises they make. It’s visually engaging and babies will find it fascinating to look at.  

Kitten’s First Full Moon – This book has both a compelling story and detailed high-contrast illustrations. The book is about a kitten in search of a bowl of milk. It won the Caldecott Medal in 2005.

Look Look! – This board book is great to encourage your little one to do tummy time. It features bold black and white images that babies feel compelled to stare at. 

Books that Teach Babies about their Bodies

Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes – This book contains beautiful illustrations of children from diverse parts of the world interacting and playing together. The book highlights that all babies—no matter where they’re born—have ten little fingers and ten little toes. 

Teach My Baby Self – A simple book showing photos of babies and highlighting different aspects of their face—hair, eyes, nose, mouth, tongue, and teeth. The end of the book features photos of the babies on the left and a mirror on the right; the baby can look back and forth at their face and then at the other babies’ faces.  

Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes… – This book illustrates toddlers performing the actions of the song, “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes.” It’s fun to sing along with your baby and a great way to teach them about their body. 

Finger Puppet Books

Little Shark: Finger Puppet Book – A simple book about a lonely shark in search of friends. You stick your finger in the back of the book and move your finger as you read. Babies will find this amusing and they’ll try to grab and interact with the shark.

Baby Books Showing Daily Activities

Splash: Chapoteo – A great book to read during bath time. It highlights what happens during bath time—splashing, washing, rinsing, drying, and playing with ducky—and pairs a photo of a baby doing the activity mentioned. The book features English and Spanish on the same page and is a great way to introduce your baby to multiple languages. I keep the book in the bath room and only read it during bath time. Holly always looks forward to reading it. It taught her the words splash and ducky. 

Sleep – This book is also part of our nightly routine. I read it to my daughter every night before she goes to sleep. Establishing a bedtime routine can help children transition from play into sleep. I like how it tells them it’s ok to feel tired. 

Books with Funny Sounds

Teach My Baby Sounds – This board book features pictures of common animals—dog, cat, sheep, cow, duck, and frog—with the noise they make. It’s a great way to introduce your baby to these animals and teach your baby the sounds these animals make.  

Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You: Dr. Seuss’s Book of Wonderful Noises – This was one of Holly’s favorite books early on. I started reading it to her when she was 4 months old and it elicited some of her first giggles. It basically features a bunch of onomatopoeia words that babies find amusing. 

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom – I fell in love with this book when I saw it performed during story time at the Miami Children’s Museum—they read it like a song accompanied with a drum and emphasized the drama of the story. While I don’t have a drum, I do try to keep the story alive and read it to a beat.            

Books with Images of Babies  

The Wonderful Things You Will Be – a touching book about a parent who wonders what their child will become and emphasizes whoever their kid turns into, they’ll love them no matter what. It’s a sentimental book parents will love and babies will love looking at the pictures of babies and children in various acts of play. 

Two Eyes, a Nose, and a Mouth – This book features faces of all ages and backgrounds—not just baby faces—yet it stills hold their focus. Babies are very curious about people’s faces and this is a great way to teach your baby about the human face. It celebrates diversity.   

Stay tuned for part 2 where I’ll feature the next 20 best books for babies under 1. What’s your favorite book to read to your baby? Leave a note in the comments. Let’s keep this list growing; there’s never too many books to read to your child.