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The Organized Mom Life

The Organized Mom Life

Simple organization for busy moms

15 amazing books for babies & toddlers

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!

Note: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This post contains affiliate links, meaning that if you choose to click through and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.

1. 100 First Words (my big lift and learn)

By Tiger Tales

Preview Product Price
100 First Words (My Big Book of Lift and... 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

Preview Product Price
Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! $10.44Amazon Prime 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

Preview Product Price
Go, Dog Go (I Can Read It All By Myself,... Go, Dog Go (I Can Read It All By Myself,… $5.69Amazon Prime 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

Preview Product Price
Good Night, Gorilla Good Night, Gorilla $8.20Amazon Prime 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

Preview Product Price
Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site... Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site… $4.37Amazon Prime 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

Preview Product Price
How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? $9.62Amazon Prime 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

Preview Product Price
Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale $17.65Amazon Prime 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

Preview Product Price
Little Blue Truck board book 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

Preview Product Price
Llama Llama Red Pajama Llama Llama Red Pajama $9.88Amazon Prime 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  

Preview Product Price
Pottytime for Chickies: A Springtime... 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  

Preview Product Price
The Very Hungry Caterpillar The Very Hungry Caterpillar $5.75Amazon Prime 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  

Preview Product Price
Where Is Baby's Belly Button? A... Where Is Baby’s Belly Button? A… $5.00Amazon Prime 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

Preview Product Price
Noisy Baby Animals (My First) 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

Preview Product Price
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (Board Book) Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (Board Book) $4.30Amazon Prime 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.

download the 100-book reading challenge here!

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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15 best books to read with babies and toddlers. Our favorites, plus a printable checklist of 100 books you can read with your baby or toddler for serious readers. #babybooks #toddlerbooks #booksforbabies #booksfortoddlers

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Filed Under: Baby & Toddler, Favorite books: Baby & Toddler

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Comments

  1. Janee says

    February 13, 2019 at 12:52 am

    Thanks for including the chickies in your library!

    Reply

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Hi! My name is Laura. I'm a wife, a mom of 4, a lover of coffee, to-do lists, and all things organizing. I created this blog to help you navigate the chaos of life as a mom in a (somewhat!) organized fashion. Find out more about me here...

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Welcome!

Hi! My name is Laura. I'm a wife, a mom of 4, a lover of coffee, to-do lists, and all things organizing. I created this blog to help you navigate the chaos of life as a mom in a (somewhat!) organized fashion. Find out more about me here...

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