Books to Begin On For Babies and Toddlers

Most of these titles are arranged by the first letter of the author's last name in the Younger Children's Area.

Board books are in baskets. Library staff is happy to help you find books!

Prepared by Anne McLaughlin, Head of Children's Services

Welcome little Baby by Aliki
A new baby girl is welcomed with love.

Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans
An enduring rhyming tale about a fearless little girl.

Little Gorillaby Ruth Bornstein
Everyone still loves Little Gorilla even when he’s big.

The Mitten by Jan Brett
A classic tale with bold illustrations.

Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
The goodnight classic every child should know.

Mr. Gumpy’s Outing by John Burningham
Animals join Mr. Gumpy on his outing.

Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell
A lift the flap story featuring zoo animals.

The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle
The spider is too busy to play with the farm animals.
(Feel the web and watch the pesky fly.)

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
A tiny caterpillar is transformed by eating unusual
Foods (talk about nutrition, colors, counting, etc.)

Jesse Bear, What Will You Wear? by Nancy White Carlstrom
Jesse Bear rhymes his way through the day

What Am I? Looking through shapes at apples and grapes by Niki Charles

Five Little Monkeys Jumping On the Bedby Eileen Christelow
The favorite rhyming song with fun illustrations

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Do your ears hang low?by Caroline Jayne Church
A song of puppy love.

Your new potty by Joanna Cole
Photographs illustrate this exciting developmental stage.

What shall we do with the Boo-hoo Baby by Cressida Cowell
The animals try to make the baby stop crying.

Freight trainby Donald Crews
Bright, colorful train cars.

Color Farm by Lois Ehlert
A puzzle book of shapes and colors. Also, Color Zoo.

Bark George by Jules Feiffer
George has trouble learning how to bark.

Everything book by Denise Fleming
Rhymes and songs, colors and shapes, everything!

Time for bed by Mem Fox
A gentle good night to all.

You’re the boss, Baby Duckby Amy Hest
There's a new baby in Baby Duck's house.

Where's Spot by Eric Hill (series)
A frisky puppy has lift-the-flap adventures.

Construction Zone by Tana Hoban
Photographs of big trucks.

Red, blue, yellow shoe

What is that?

Let’s count

Is it red? Is it blue? Is it yellow?

by Tana Hoban

Her board books feature bright identifiable colors and objects. Her books of photographs introduce early concepts.

Pots and Pans by Patricia Hubbell

Making noise is fun.

Hush Little Baby by Sylvia Long

A gentle rendition of the classic bedtime song.

Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey

A little girl and a little bear look for their mothers.

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you see? by Bill Martin

A classic that teaches colors and animals. Also, Polar Bear, Polar Bear What do you hear?About sounds of animals.

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin

A rollicking alphabet rhyme.

Sam Who Never Forgets by Eve Rice

Will Sam remember to feed the elephant?

Root-a-toot-toot by Anne Rockwell

A Rebus story about a boy with a flute followed by animals.

The New Baby by Mr. Rogers

Photographs of various families welcoming a new baby.

Going to the Potty by Mr. Rogers

Photographs of potty training.

Old Macdonaldby Amy Schwartz

This sing along features bold illustrations of farm animals

No, David by David Shannon

Guess what word naughty David hears all the time?

It Looked Like Spilt Milk by Charles Shaw

A guessing game of shapes and repetitive language.

Come Along, Daisy! by Jane Simmons

A baby duck loses track of her mother.

Pete’s a Pizza by William Steig

Loving parents cheer up their son by turning him into a pizza.

A Hat for Minerva Louise by Janet Stoeke

Minerva the silly chicken looks for a special hat.

Who’s Counting? by Nancy Tafuri.

A curious puppy explores the farm.

“Hi, Pizza Man!” by Virginia Walter

It’s so hard to wait for the pizza to arrive.

Mouse Paint by Ellen Walsh

The white mice change colors to hide from the cat.

Noisy Nora by Rosemary Wells

A naughty little girl seeks attention from her busy family.

I Went Walking by Sue Williams

A young boy identifies animals on a rhythmic journey.

“More More More,” said the Baby by Vera Williams

Babies are shown love by different family members

Come With Me by Ashley Wolff

A boy introduces his new puppy to the great outdoors.

Only the Cat Saw by Ashley Wolff

The family cats sees a lively neighborhood at night.

The Napping House by Audrey Wood

Rhyming tale of who’s taking a nap.

Piggies by Don & Audrey Wood

Irresistible illustrations accompany a fun finger play.