Books by age: babies to 3 year olds
The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests simple rhymes and bold pictures for new babies, sturdy board books with textures from about 6 months, and books a toddler can point at, name and ask for again. These four lists are our own picks for each age, every title checked on Open Library, to borrow from your library.
Checked October 29, 2026.
- Board books for babies, birth to 12 months11 books, including Black on White and White on Black
- Books for 1 year olds11 books, including Dear Zoo and Where's Spot?
- Books for 2 year olds12 books, including Caps for Sale and The Snowy Day
- Books for 3 year olds14 books, including Where the Wild Things Are and Corduroy
How did we choose them?
We picked books that suit what children do with books at each age, as the AAP describes it: listening and looking, then board books with textures to feel, then pointing and naming, then joining in with a line they know. Ask for them at your library, where a children's librarian can suggest more like them. Nobody paid to be on these lists, and we link to Open Library, the Internet Archive's free catalog, never to a shop.
Sources
- Open Library (Internet Archive): each book's title and author checked (checked October 29, 2026)
- American Academy of Pediatrics, HealthyChildren.org: How to Share Books with Your Baby (updated 29 Sep 2024) (checked October 29, 2026)
- American Academy of Pediatrics, HealthyChildren.org: How to Share Books with Your 12 to 14 Month Old (checked October 29, 2026)
- American Academy of Pediatrics, HealthyChildren.org: How to Share Books with 2 and 3 Year Olds (updated 6 Aug 2021) (checked October 29, 2026)