My favorite time of day is 6:30 pm. That’s when my girls (Emma is 4 and Kate just turned 2) get in their pajamas, cuddle up on the couch with blankets, pillow, and sippy cups of milk, and read stories.
We’ve been doing our nightly story time ever since Emma was about 6 months old, and by now we have a few tried and true favorites- books that have been read and reread so many times that they are literally falling apart at their spines.
Today I’m sharing our 15 all-time favorite books for babies and toddlers. I honestly cannot wait for you to start enjoying these books, too!
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1. 100 First Words (my big lift and learn)
By Tiger Tales
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100 First Words (My Big Book of Lift and… | $2.55 | Buy on Amazon |
This book is big, colorful, and has a flap to lift for every single word. This was an absolute favorite for both of my girls. It was so much fun to watch them start getting interested in the book before they even turned one, and then to slowly learn every single one of the words by the time they turned two. If I had to pick my favorite favorite from this list, it would be this one! Also be sure to check out My Big Book of Lift and Learn: 100 First Animals.
2. Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!
By Mo Willems
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Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! |
$10.44 |
Buy on Amazon |
This is the first book in a popular series. It’s simple, but hilarious. I actually don’t get tired of reading this one over and over because it’s so funny to hear Emma or Kate tell the pigeon, “NO!” when he asks whether or not he can drive the bus.
You can also check out Don’t Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late-another favorite of ours from this series.
3. Go, Dog. Go!
By P. D. Eastman
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Go, Dog Go (I Can Read It All By Myself,… |
$5.69 |
Buy on Amazon |
This was one of my favorites as a little girl, and I’m delighted that my girls also love it now. Each page has fun pictures and simple phrases that little ones are quick to memorize.
4. Good Night, Gorilla
By Peggy Rathmann
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Good Night, Gorilla |
$8.20 |
Buy on Amazon |
The pictures in this book tell the story, making it perfect for toddlers who can’t read on their own yet. I think the story is pretty clever, too.
5. Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site
By Sherri Duskey Rinker, Tom Lichtenheld
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Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site… |
$4.37 |
Buy on Amazon |
Does your toddler love vehicles? Emma was always really interested in trains and firetrucks. If that sounds familiar to you, then this is the perfect bedtime story choice. The story is sweet and easy to love, and it wins little hearts because it’s chock full of construction vehicles.
6. How do Dinosaurs Say Good Night?
By Jane Yolen
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How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? |
$9.62 |
Buy on Amazon |
There are lots of books in this series, but this one is my personal favorite. I think the pictures are hilarious. I wonder if the authors have toddlers themselves, because they are spot-on with their descriptions of the things that naughty little dinosaurs might do to get out of going to bed!
7. Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale
By Mo Willems
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Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale |
$17.65 |
Buy on Amazon |
This is another book where the illustrations tell the story- great for toddlers who aren’t reading yet but love to talk about what they see in the pictures. Emma had a baby doll that she used to take with her everywhere, so we understand exactly how traumatic it must have been for Trixie to lose her stuffed bunny.
8. Little Blue Truck
By Alice Schertle, Jill McElmurry
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Little Blue Truck board book | $1.34 | Buy on Amazon |
You know how some books just have a great flow to them? This is one of those. The rhymes are perfect, and it’s easy to read. My girls love to chime in when it comes to the animal noises!
9. Llama Llama Red Pajama
By Anna Dewdney
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Llama Llama Red Pajama |
$9.88 |
Buy on Amazon |
This book makes me laugh because the llama reminds me of Emma and all the bedtime shenanigans she likes to try to pull. I think Emma just likes the silly rhymes. This is a great story for right before bed.
10. Pottytime for Chickies
By Janee Trasler
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Pottytime for Chickies: A Springtime… | $2.81 | Buy on Amazon |
We must have read this book every night for about a month straight. There are a lot of potty books out there, but this one is my favorite. It’s cute and silly, and it’s a fun way to start talking about potty training.
11. The Very Hungry Caterpillar
By Eric Carle
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The Very Hungry Caterpillar |
$5.75 |
Buy on Amazon |
This book is a popular classic, and it’s no wonder why. Kate likes sticking her fingers in the holes that the caterpillar has eaten through, and she quickly learned the names of all the foods in the story. I love that it teaches kids the days of the week and includes a little science lesson on metamorphosis.
12. Where is Baby’s Belly Button?
By Karen Katz
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Where Is Baby’s Belly Button? A… |
$5.00 |
Buy on Amazon |
Kate learned many of her body parts from this book. She also really likes anything with pictures of babies, so this book was a huge hit.
13. Noisy Baby Animals
By Patricia Hegarty
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Noisy Baby Animals (My First) | $0.01 | Buy on Amazon |
This is my favorite book in the noisy animals series. For each animal, there’s a little cut-out where you can touch the puppy’s fur (or the elephant’s ear, etc.) and then when you push down, there’s a button that will make the animal noise. Kate loves these books, and will read them over and over.
14. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
By Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault
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Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (Board Book) |
$4.30 |
Buy on Amazon |
This is a classic, popular alphabet book. It tells the story of the letters climbing up and falling down a coconut tree. My girls love listening to the song as they read along. (I just play this one from youtube while we follow along in the story.) Be careful- listen once and it’ll be stuck in your head forever!
15. Hello Magazine
(Highlights magazine subscription, ages 0-2)
Emma’s grandparents bought her a subscription to this baby magazine as a gift shortly after she was born. The “magazines” are small and toddler-proof (think thick, unrippable, waterproof pages.)
They’re full of age-appropriate “articles” including pictures of baby faces, songs, poems, and our favorite: a find the item page. We love getting this magazine every month, and since the magazines are so durable, I saved every issue and and now reread them to Kate.
Bonus: A 100-book reading challenge
So I told you our 15 favorites- the books (or magazines) that I’ve read to my girls over and over… and over again! But if you are looking for even more, then I have a little bonus just for you: a 100 book checklist with these, and 85 other great books to read to your baby or toddler.
Enjoy, and happy reading with your little munchkins. 🙂
P.S. If you want to see how we keep all of these books organized, be sure to check out this post!
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Janee says
Thanks for including the chickies in your library!