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Board books for babies: birth to 12 months

The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests books with simple rhymes and bold pictures for the first months, sturdy board books and soft fabric books with different textures from about 6 months, and pictures of everyday things like balls and blocks from about 9 months. Babies pay attention for a few minutes at a time, and you never need to finish the book.

Checked October 29, 2026.

By Peabody editors. Something wrong? Tell us.

What to look for in a baby's first books

  • Bold, simple pictures with strong contrast
  • Rhymes and songs you can say from memory
  • Thick board pages a baby can grab, chew and turn
  • Faces, flaps, holes and things to touch

11 board books for babies, birth to 12 months

Take this list to your library, or print it.

  1. Black on White by Tana Hoban

    Black shapes of everyday things on white pages, with no words at all.

    Find it on Open Library

  2. White on Black by Tana Hoban

    The same idea turned around: white pictures on black pages.

    Find it on Open Library

  3. Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes by Mem Fox, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury

    A rocking, repeating rhyme about babies' fingers and toes, easy to say from memory.

    Find it on Open Library

  4. Pat the Bunny by Dorothy Kunhardt

    A touch book: pat the soft bunny, feel Daddy's scratchy face, play peekaboo.

    Find it on Open Library

  5. Where Is Baby's Belly Button? by Karen Katz

    Lift the flaps to find baby's eyes, mouth and belly button.

    Find it on Open Library

  6. Peek-a-Who? by Nina Laden

    A rhyming guess behind a cut-out hole on every page, with a mirror at the end.

    Find it on Open Library

  7. Moo, Baa, La La La! by Sandra Boynton

    Animal sounds with a silly twist: three pigs who sing instead of oink.

    Find it on Open Library

  8. Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Clement Hurd

    A slow, quiet goodnight to everything in a little bunny's room.

    Find it on Open Library

  9. Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr., illustrated by Eric Carle

    Bold animals in bright colors and one question that repeats on every page.

    Find it on Open Library

  10. Hug by Jez Alborough

    A little chimp looks for a hug, and almost the only word in it is "hug".

    Find it on Open Library

  11. Everywhere Babies by Susan Meyers, illustrated by Marla Frazee

    Babies being fed, dressed, rocked and loved, in rhyme.

    Find it on Open Library

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