Your little one may be more interested in chewing on pages than hearing a story. However, board books featuring real photos will capture their attention. We visited the library and all of our favorite book stores. Our goal was to find the best board books your toddler will love! These are the books they will go back to again and again. Ours definitely have a few chew marks, but our one year old can’t get enough of these four books.
Pass a toddler with your baby and you will almost certainly hear, “Mama, look, a baby!” Babies and toddler LOVE to look at other babies and toddlers! These Montessori-friendly books feature photographs of real people and animals. You can read the written words for a straightforward story time. Or you can discuss the pages with your baby, letting them linger on the images that capture them the most.
Read on to find out why these board books are a must-have for your family!
My Face Book
I can’t tell you how many times we’ve perused this book! My Face Book by Star Bright Books features photos of babies showing different emotions. Each pair of pages show opposite emotions, from laughing and crying to sleepy and awake. The book includes photographs of a diverse group of babies, each showing a clear expression.
This is a great way to start teaching baby emotional intelligence. You can start by reading the facial expressions and discussing the feelings behind them. They will also start learning the terminology for their own feelings. Mostly I think our baby likes seeing all the other babies faces. He always lingers on the laughing and happy babies!
Yeah, Baby!
Yeah, Baby! by Flowerpot Press is a fun book of baby firsts. Each spread shows bright and friendly photographs. Cheer on babies and toddlers as they reach their exciting milestones! From smiling at mom to first words, this is such a fun book. We love the friendly vibe of all the pictures. This book provides a fun way to talk to your child about all the things they have learned to do. It’s also an exciting way to discuss all the things they will do one day!
Hands Can
If you are looking for an interactive and engaging board book, Hands Can by Cheryl Willis Hudson is for you. Beautiful photographs by John-Francis Bourke show real kids using their hands in all kinds of ways. Babies will love looking at the pictures. And toddlers will love acting out the hand motions as they discover all the ways hands are used!
The story follows a simply rhyming scheme and tells all the sweet ways kids can use their hands. We also appreciate the helpful size of this book. The proportions make it easy for little ones to turn the pages. And it’s a great quality, very sturdy.
The Babies and Doggies Book
The Babies and Doggies Book is our one-year-old’s absolute favorite book. He gets to read about BOTH dogs AND kids all at the same time. And it shows how alike they are. It is perfection!
This is a fun read aloud with rhyming pages of all the things babies and doggies both do. Toddlers will love practicing some of their first words (Ball! Dog!) as they follow the story and enjoy the fun photographs.
We have two dogs in our family, so puppies are a big part of our life. But you can check out these others, too! The Babies and Kitties Book and The Babies and Bunnies Book.
We checked out some of these at our local library before realizing we needed our own copies. The library and your favorite independent bookstore are always great options for finding beautiful books for your children. For a quick and easy option, follow the links above! (Note: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. But know that these recommendations are my own from personal experience!) I hope you and your family enjoy these board books as much as we do!