Books for Babies and Toddlers

​Chelsey Bahlmann Bollinger
The books reviewed in this column are designed to captivate young minds as adults share them with babies and toddlers. Explore stories that ignite curiosity about nature, enjoy interactive guessing games, and find soothing bedtime tales. Start inspiring a love of reading in little ones today.

​All About Nature: Animals, Insects, Plants, and More! (The All About Picture Book Series #2) Huda Harajli. Illus. by Jane Sanders. (2024). Callisto.
“Nature is all around us!” “Nature is everything in our world not made by people.” Huda Harajli presents facts about the natural world using simple language that toddlers can understand. Each page covers different elements of nature such as the sun, air, water, the ground, plants, animals, weather patterns, and seasons. Jane Sanders' colorful illustrations featuring children outdoors exploring the world around them vividly make these facts more accessible for young readers. After reading this engaging, interactive informational picture book, children will want to share with others what they know about nature and be eager to learn more. 

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​All of Those Babies. Mylisa Larsen. Illus. by Stephanie Laberis. (2024). Beach Lane. 
Mylisa Larsen’s story in rhyme introduces readers to the world of baby animals, sharing their unique and sometimes surprising names. “Echidnas have puggles. / Geese hatch their goslings. / Humpbacks have calves. / Codfish have codlings.” Stephanie Laberis’ cheery illustrations, rendered digitally, picture the baby animals first with their mothers and then in action as they grow. Young children will be captivated by the story’s shift to human babies showing them growing just like the baby animals. “[F]or babies are babies, / but everyone knows . . . // that everyone, / everyone, / everyone / GROWS!” This picture book entertains but also educates, fostering a sense of wonder and excitement about the natural process of growth.

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Eye Guess: A Forest Animal Guessing Game. Phyllis Limbacher Tildes. (2024). Charlesbridge.
Phyllis Limbacher Tildes’ lift-the-flap board book presents close-up images of the eyes and a part of the face of forest animals and some interesting facts about them that invite young readers to play a who-am-I? game. Answers are revealed by opening the fold-out page to reveal the animal in its habitat and its name in bold type, making the reading of the book a fun and interactive experience. This guessing game format is sure to captivate young children, keeping them entertained while they learn about eight animals: duck, turtle, frog, racoon, bobcat, mouse, owl, and wolf. The colorful and detailed images will help children develop their observational skills and gain knowledge about different animals as they engage with the book repeatedly.

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​Eyes, Nose, Belly, Toes: My First Human Body Book. Krupa Bhojani Playforth, MD. Illus. by Becky Paige. (2024). Callisto.
This informative and interactive board book is a kid-friendly first book about the human body. The introduction aimed at adults mentions the research on how children start making observations about bodies at a very young age and offers tips for reading the book with children at different developmental stages. Using simple sentences and speaking directly to the child, Krupa Bhojani Playforth explains parts of the body in a way that is easy for them to understand. For example, “This is the head. Can you point to yours? The head has many parts: hair, eyes, ears, nose, and mouth.” Becky Paige's vibrant illustrations feature a diverse array of toddlers and images that focus on different body parts and their functions and invite the interest and participation of young children. 

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​Hey! What’s That? Sandra Boynton. (2024). Boynton Book Works.
Sandra Boynton’s interactive board book featuring her signature cartoon animals engages readers in a captivating guessing game in which they explore different textures. Following Boynton’s directions to place a finger through a hole to turn the page, the finger becomes a part of an animal. For example, after feeling the yellow tactile element through the hole on the front cover and turning the page, the double spread picture shows a yellow elephant with a textured ear—“It’s a bumpy yellow elephant!”—and the child’s wiggled finger becomes the trunk of a companion grey elephant. Each page is designed to stimulate curiosity, encouraging children to guess what comes next. Children and adults alike will enjoy returning to this book again and again. 

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​Hush, Little Dozer. Rebecca Colby. Illus. by Katya Longhi. (2024). Little Simon.
This board book written in the rhyming format of the traditional lullaby “Hush, Little Baby” and filled with rich vocabulary that includes action words like churn, level out, excavate and hoist will capture the attention of young children and spark conversations. The lively text and colorful illustrations depict various animated vehicles (bulldozer, loader, dump truck and more) as they cheerfully do their work at a construction site. For example, “Scoop, little loader. / Shovel dirt. / Dig and excavate / the earth.” At the end of the busy day, the weary vehicles are ready to bed down for the night—although youngsters may want to read the book one more time. 

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​Jane Foster’s Baby’s First Stories 0-3 Months. Lily Murray. Illus. by Jane Foster. (2024). Kane Miller.
This first book in a series of sturdy board books features double-page spreads of Jane Foster’s bold black-and-white patterned artwork paired with rhythmic stories in verse by Lily Murray. The four stories to read to babies during the first three months of life are “Elephant’s Song,” “Panda’s Day,” “Whale Plays,” and “Bunny’s Burrow.” The stories about Little Elephant, Little Panda, Little Whale, and Bunny that continue in the books for babies 3-6, 6-9, and 9-12 months old in the series become more involved and interactive. Toddlers will continue to enjoy having these first stories for babies read to them again and again after their first birthdays. 

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​The Little Things (Emily Dodd’s Love You Books). Emily Dodd. (2024). Templar.
In this heartwarming padded board book, Emma Dodd’s rhyming text and colorful digital artwork illustrate that the simple things in life are what matter the most through the touching depiction of a giant panda and its cub interacting during a day. The story gently explores themes of love, connection, and kindness, emphasizing that what truly matters is the time spent together and the bonds formed by sharing precious moments, whether by playing together, cuddling, or simply being there for one another. The narrative also highlights the value of expressing emotions and making amends, showing that saying sorry and giving friends hugs can strengthen relationships and bring individuals closer. 

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​The Mommies on the Bus.  Hannah Eliot. Illus. by Alrin O’Callaghan. (2024). Little
Simon.
In this lively board book, Hannah Eliot adapts the rhythmic verses of the classic nursery song "The Wheels on the Bus" to take young children along on a bus ride “all around the town” that showcases some of the wonderful things mommies do. Alrin O’Callaghan brings the story to life with vibrant, colorful illustrations that depict a diverse array of mothers in various scenarios from queuing up with their children for the bus to doling out snacks, to ensuring the kids are safe, and teaching them good manners until their stop is reached and it is time to exit the bus. This fun read-aloud or sing-along book that highlights the nurturing and caring nature of mothers during an outing will become a favorite. 

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​Run, Run, Run! Taro Gomi. (2024). Chronicle.
“It’s time to race! / Ready, set, go!” In this board book originally published in Japan, Taro Gomi uses his signature graphic design style of simple sentences and vibrant, minimalistic artwork against a white background to tell the story of a young boy’s participation in a foot race from start to finish. As the race begins, the boy sets off with determination. But the race is too short for him and he keeps running down bustling city streets, through quiet neighborhoods, past farms in the country, and into a forest. Along the way, the runner encounters an array of animals and interesting sights, adding layers of discovery and adventure to the narrative. Finally, the boy ends up back at the site of the race—for an unexpected finish to his race experience that will delight young readers. 

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​Tell Me About Oceans (Tell Me About #2). Lisa Varchol Perron. Illus. by Jennifer Falkner. (2024). Little Simon.
This Tell Me About board book addresses those intriguing questions about the ocean that children ask, questions that sometimes leave adults stumped for answers. For example, set against a colorful double-page illustration showing a child and adult at the beach is the rhyme “Tell me why the ocean’s blue / beneath the sunny sky. / Water scatters beams of sun, / and blue light meets your eye.” A sidebar provides additional scientific information. The book explores other phenomena such as surface waves and tides as well as the diverse flora and fauna of the ocean. The format of the book encourages children to ask more questions and fosters a sense of wonder about the natural world. 

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​You’ll Always Be My Chickadee. Kate Hosford. Illus. by Sarah Gonzales. (2024). Chronicle.  
Kate Hosford portrays the sweet and nurturing relationship between an adult and a child in this picture book of lyrical verses that capture moments of love and connection made during a day shared outdoors. Sarah Gonzales’ expressive illustrations, created with gouache, watercolor, and pencil crayons, complement the narrative, bringing each scene to life with gentle colors and delicate details that evoke a sense of comfort and warmth. One of the enchanting verses reads, "Clearest water, coldest river, / plunge and surface, shout and shiver. / Warm ourselves when we are done. / You’ll always be my midday sun." These poetic lines beautifully capture the essence of the bond between the adult and child, highlighting moments of shared adventure, love, and joy. 

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​Where’s the Fox? (Where’s The). Ingela P. Arrhenius. (2024). Candlewick.
The creators of this sturdy board book series have addressed the problem of the wear and tear that babies and toddlers often inflict on lift-the-flap books by designing the flaps with durable felt material that will withstand the enthusiastic handling of little hands. On each double-page spread, Ingela P. Arrhenius poses a question asking where a specific animal is. A lift of a colorful felt flap reveals the animal hidden underneath. For example, “Where is the woodpecker?” is answered with “Here it is!” when the child lifts a green, leaf-shaped flap. Adding a personal touch young children will love, the final page shows the four discovered animals (fox, mole, woodpecker, and hare) and the question “And where are you?” Upon lifting the flap, the child sees themself in a mirror. “There you are!” 

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Chelsey Bahlmann Bollinger is an Associate Professor in the Early, Elementary, and Reading Department at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia.