Reading to your baby is one of the best ways to bond while supporting their development. From high-contrast images to rhythmic text, the right board books can capture even the youngest baby’s attention.
Below I’m sharing our favorite board books for infants 0-12 months, all tried, true, and loved! Looking for books for toddlers? As my daughter has grown, so has her book collection! Check out The Best Board Books for Toddlers (12-24 Months) for even more favorites.
Table of Contents
My daughter has had favorites from the beginning. The books she loved as an infant introduced her to language, encouraged interaction, and became part of our daily routine in my grandmother’s glider. We read before naps, after dinner, before bed.
I’ve heard that repetition is key and that babies love hearing the same story over and over, which helps build early language skills. It was definitely true for us!
And at 10 months old, she started turning the pages on her own and was so proud of herself! Thank goodness board books can handle touching, grabbing, exploring, and chewing!
Her favorite books from the beginning were those with rhyming text or ABCs. Once she started turning the pages, she enjoyed lift-the-flap and touch-and-feel books, too. Follow your baby’s cues – mine loves to choose which books to read next.
For a book to be truly wonderful for both of us, it needs to be delightful for me – the reader! And these books are. Bonus points if the book has knitting references, which I’ll indicate in the note (I’m 100% trying to knitfluence her in both subtle and not-so-subtle ways).
I hope you find a new gem for a little one in your life. Any of these would make a great baby shower gift to help parents build a library for their new arrival.
Without further ado, here are our top picks. Happy reading!
New Rhythms & Rhymes
These are nursery rhymes for a new generation of babies! (And I love them, too.)
If I had a Gryphon
I bought this book on a whim online, and I am so glad that I did. It is so sweet, and so unique. I love getting to read about a hippogriff, phoenix, jackalope, and more, to my little one.
Lesson: The grass isn’t always greener.
The Pout-Pout Fish
This book is so much fun! We were given two copies from friends, and I can see why it’s so popular. The rhymes are so upbeat, which makes it so much fun to read. I can’t wait to try more from the series over the years.
Lesson: Things aren’t always what they seem, and you can decide to be different than what you’re told.
I’ll Love You Till the Cows Come Home
What adorable and sweet nonsense phrases to profess your forever love for your child. This book is filled with things that would never ever happen, which is such a different way of saying that you will love your baby forever.
I’ll probably find myself saying, “I will love you till the sheep set sail on a cruise ship bound for the Isle of Kale past manatees and a humpback whale,” as I send my daughter off to school someday.
Lesson: I’ll love you forever and ever.
Knitting Reference: Sheep
Giraffes Can’t Dance
This book about a giraffe that finds his own rhythm is so cute.
Lesson: Dance to the beat of your own drum, and don’t let the naysayers get you down.
Bee-Bim Bop!
I bought this book before my daughter was born. My husband and I really like the Korean dish of Bee-bim Bop, so I thought it would be fun to have. I was right! It’s great. And bonus – my daugher’s first word is Bop, so she will finish the verses that end with, “bop,” for me. I love it.
Lesson: Cook and eat with family!
Little Blue Truck
I bet you didn’t expect the book about a truck to be one of only two on this list with barnyard animal noises, but here we are. I like this one so much more than I expected.
Lesson: Help your friends (and frenemies) when they are in need, and even a tiny bit can make a difference.
Knitting Reference: Sheep
Belly Button Book!
Sandra Boynton books are hit or miss for me. This one is a hit! So cute!
Lesson: Bask in the glory of what you love (even if what you love is showing off your belly button).
Dinosaur Dance!
The second and final Sandra Boynton book on my list. This one is short and cute, and it’s great fodder for doing little sitting dance moves as we read.
Lesson: Just dance!
ABCs
We weren’t expecting ABCs to be so soothing to our newborn, but she was a big fan from the beginning.
Alphablock
Of all the little kid songs out there, my daugher’s favorite is the ABCs, so I sing the ABC books when I read them to her. The Abrams block books are so impressive. Each letter is cut out, and the graphics are great. And with two pages for each letter, there’s lots of page turning, which keeps her interested.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar’s ABC
This book is full of the most unique animals. Have you ever heard of a quetzal? I had not. What a fun way to introduce more words for each letter.
Bonus activity: Ask Siri (or your preferred digital assistant), “What does a ______ sound like?” and let your little one hear the actual animal sound.
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
What a unique way to learn the alphabet! Maybe all of these ABC books will pay off with baby learning her letters early!
Sing-A-Long Books
Having the lyrics in front of you makes singing less familiar songs easier. I didn’t think I would like it as much as I do.
Baby Beluga
The Baby Beluga illustrations are absolutely beautiful. And I really do need the reminder for lyrics.
Down By the Bay
While I remember Baby Beluga from when I was a little kid, I did not remember Down by the Bay. This is probably the silliest book of the bunch.
Wheels On the Bus
Did Raffi invent the Wheels on the Bus? I don’t think so. Do I need a book to remind me of the lyrics? Nope. But I’m pretty sure this board book bus is rolling around Paris. Such fun illustrations.
Skinnamarink
I would not know all of the words and verses of this silly sweet song without the book. Another fun way to say, “I love you.”
Lift-the-Flap, Touch-and-Feel, and Finger Puppet Books
As soon as my little one figured out how to lift flaps on books, she wanted all books to be interactive. These were the most engaging books for her.
Gotta Go, Buffalo
If you ever wanted to know all of the cool, animal themed goodbyes, this is it. Toodle-oo, Kangaroo!
Taco Tuesday
I never expected this short little book to make my 7-month old crack up. She loves it! I’ve tried some of the others in this series, but she’s a Texas gal who loves her tacos, apparently.
You’re My Little Baby
There are so many touch-and-feel books out there, and this is the first one that my little one was even remotely interested in. There’s a lamb with soft, fluffy wool, and she loves it. Maybe I’m raising a little knitter after all!
Knitting Reference: Sheep
Do Cows Meow?
These flaps lift to form a picture of the animal yelling their sound. It’s cute and hilarious.
Knitting Reference: Sheep and “Do frogs knit?”
Tried & True Bedtime Stories
There are so many beautiful bedtime books out there, but we read the same two every single night.
Goodnight Moon
This is a classic for good reason. It’s calm, soothing. My daughter loves looking at the illustrations, too. It’s always the last book we read before going down for the night.
Knitting Reference: The quiet old lady whispering, “Hush,” is knitting, and the two little kittens are playing with the ball of yarn.
The Pout-Pout Fish and the Can’t Sleep Blues
I have a sweet spot for the pout-pout fish. These books are so entertaining. We were given two copies of the original before our little one was born, so people must love it. I expanded our collection with this one and will likely add more from the series over the years.
Other Delightful Board Books
Here’s all of the other ones we read over and over that don’t fit into one of the above categories.
Dinoblock
The Abrams Block books are amazing. The cutouts are unique, the illustrations are bright and colorful. This one gives a real life equivalent attribute for lots of different dinosaurs. Bonus: it has pronunciations for each dinosaur right on the page.
Countablock
This is another Abrams block book with great cutouts and illustrations. My baby and I count to 100 multiple times a day. Here’s hoping she’s not scared of numbers as she gets older. Bonus: the number six is about yarn turning into sweaters!
Modification: It says that, “six balls of yarn become six sweaters.” I modify it to say, “six balls of yarn become six BABY sweaters.”
Knitting Reference: Six balls of yarn becoming six (baby) sweaters.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Would a board book list be complete without this classic? I think not.
Modification: Where the book says, “big, fat caterpillar,” I bring out my most Texan twang and say, “He was a big ‘ol caterpillar.”
Lesson: You need to eat to grow, and that’s normal. (I am the Knitritionist after all. I need a book about food helping you grow.)
The Monster at the End of this Book
Put on your best Grover voice and have fun!
This book is cute, although I do worry about it teaching the wrong lesson. Grover says, “Don’t turn the page!” And then I cheer on my daughter when she turns the page anyway. But she loves it! Grover’s so fun (even though he gaslights you at the end)! We’ll see if that comes back to bite me. I might have to put this one away soon.
The Wonky Donkey
This tongue twister about a (rather unfortunate) donkey, makes me laugh every time.
Final Thoughts
I hope you find some new board books in this list that are fun for you and the little one in your life.
I have books lists for other things, too!
Happy reading!
