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Find out moreNothing beats sitting with a baby or toddler on the knee and reading a book together: here are the best selection of books for babies and toddlers from 0-2+
You can always trust Tony Ross to teach little ones a useful lesson with loads of humour and the perfect level of cheekiness. The grown-ups keep telling the Little Princess to wash her hands – after she’s been playing in the mud, after she’s used her potty, and after she’s sneezed, but why, she asks. The maid explains, gleefully and very vividly, and you can guarantee the Little Princess will never not wash her hands again. She still gets the last word, and the last laugh though! Full of Ross's brilliant touches of characterisation and silliness, this will be a hit with toddlers and parents alike.
A Julia Eccleshare Pick of the Month April 2021 | Ruffles hates his red coat and refuses to put it on when he goes out to play – even when it is raining. His friend Ruby has a blue coat. And she loves to wear it. When the two friends jump and splash in puddles Ruffles gets wet and cold and wants to go home. But Ruby is dry inside her coat and wants to play still. Clever Ruby gets Ruffles his coat. Ruffles love Ruby more than he hates his coat so, after a vigorous struggle to get into it, he proudly joins her for some more play! David Melling’s simple illustrations of the two gorgeous little dogs carry all the emotion of this almost wordless picture book perfectly.
A Julia Eccleshare Pick of the Month March 2021 | Poppy Anne Field loves ants and spiders and ladybirds and butterflies and dragonflies. Watching them for hours while deep in the countryside she feels entirely at home in their company. But when she is with people, she is overcome with shyness and does everything she can to blend into the scenery – rather as her beloved insects do to keep themselves safe. How Poppy’s love of nature helps her to overcome her shyness is conveyed gently and in a way that will reassure all those who are equally shy.
Mummy Owl does everything she can to make sure Little Owl is all ready for bed. She’s read a bedtime story – and then one more on the promise that Little Owl will settle afterwards. And she’s tucked Little Owl in with all his favourite things. But Little Owl can’t sleep because it is too dark, too noisy and because he is too excited about seeing his Grandma and Grandpa Owl. Mummy Owl uses all her best powers of invention and story telling to make sure Little Owl can go to sleep!
Readers will be left in no doubt that they matter after reading this beautiful, cleverly constructed story. The first image is of a little girl gazing down a microscope at ‘the small stuff too small to see.’ From there, the story moves through time, switching scale too from early ocean life – comically serious looking – to dinosaurs. The appearance of a blazing meteorite sends the story away from Earth up into space where an astronaut is thinking about her little boy, who is seen at the window of an apartment block. All are told that no matter what’s going on, whether you’re young or old, the first to go or last, you matter. The text circles round so that the opening lines are repeated at the close, tying the disparate-seeming elements together and wittily reminding us that – like everything else – we’re matter. It’s clever, full of surprises and, like that meteorite, makes a real impact.
The Rainbow Blots are a delightful little family; each member is a colour of the rainbow with his/her own distinctive personality. Mummy Blot encourages them to have fun and they each do so by immersing themselves into activities linked with their specific colour. They have another little trick that they are able to perform as they can change themselves into a colour related object. Written in a rhyming format, this charming little book is illustrated in bright and bold colours which would appeal to young children. I like the fact that each colour character is unique and Indigo baby is my favourite! I especially liked the illustration of them tucked inside their little beds. The names and order of the colours of the rainbow are reinforced in the middle of the book - the child is encouraged to say them aloud - and there is the opportunity of drawing one's own rainbow blot at the end. This would be a very useful addition to an infant school library and a book which would be reread frequently if owned at home. It is certainly one which I would have made use of when teaching Reception aged children. Val Rowe, A LoveReading4Kids Ambassador
Pip and Posy are enjoying the garden in their different ways. Pip is doing some gardening, Posy is having fun. For Posy, having fun means making noise, lots of it, which doesn’t go down well with Pip’s new friend, a snail – poor Posy! Except that, when the snail urgently needs some help, Posy is just the person to supply it. It’s a funny, beautifully observed story about difference, individuality – and the near-impossibility of being quiet if you’re someone like Posy (and lots of little readers will be). As ever, Axel Scheffler’s illustrations are full of vitality and detail. Pip’s snail is wonderfully expressive, in or out of his shell, and the garden they all share is bright, colourful and welcoming. A perfect book to share with the under-fives.
Rows of adorable little veggies tuck themselves up for the night in their flower beds in this charming and whimsical picture book. The potatoes are closing their eyes, the tired-out tomatoes humming lullabies, and the little aubergines are already dreaming, after all, nothing’s more exhausting than growing day and night. The text is short and its rhythm and rhymes make it just right for bedtime reading while the pictures of the vegetables, cosy and smiling in their beds, will set the liveliest toddler in the mood for sleep. A worm tunnels through each page and at the book’s end he too is stretched out for the night fast asleep, his one shoe lined up tidily at the foot of the bed. Gorgeous!
When Finney the fox proudly announces he’s written a book, his friend points out it’s all there, except the story. Finney is sure he’s full of stories though, and he is – the only trouble is, they’re all old favourites. Fortunately, the two friends work out that we’ve all got one, very unique story to tell – our own! Finney’s tale will intrigue and entertain children who will understand, better than adults, that their own story is one of the best. Finney and his friend are jolly little characters and the illustrations a feast of bold primary colours and inky black shapes.
From Alex English, author of Sky Pirates, and Ben Cort, illustrator of Aliens Love Underpants and Aliens Love Dinopants comes this all-singing, all-dancing, all-stomping-and-romping rhyming picture book that sees a naughty dinosaur make a whole of lot of mayhem - for an unexpected, touching reason. A little girl is enjoying some extra-special cake in her granny’s kitchen when the walls are set a-trembling by none other than a mighty roaring dinosaur. When the bright, brash brontosaurus speeds off with Gran, the girl scoots after them. The chase takes her through the playground, along the high street, through fields and into the woods, where she loses sight of them and begins to worry they won’t be found before Mummy’s due at 6 o’clock. What can be done? “I WANT MY GRAN!” she cries. When the dinosaur creeps from the trees, he confesses that loneliness had driven him to steal Gran, and so they come to a rather lovely arrangement that keeps everyone happy. With a rousing “STOP THAT DINOSAUR!” refrain to join in with, a thrilling sense of time running out, and lovely messages about making unexpected friends, and all the wonderful things grannies do (read stories, make apple pie, kiss your bruises, hug you when you cry), this is as charming as it’s funny, and a sure-fire read aloud hit.
March 2021 Debut of the Month | This is the story of Triangle, a bright yellow triangle, who has such fun with all the shapes as she goes along trying to find other triangles. First, she rolls with the blue circles, and although she feels a bit different at times, she really feels the times that make her shape stand out. So off she sets to find other triangles – which she does eventually, but only after spending time with Squares, Hexagons, and Stars. The joys of finding others like herself start to wain after they have made lots of shapes, and Triangle realises she misses all the other shapes! She invites the other shapes to play – and they all join in to find they could have a brilliant time together. On the last double page spread they all fit together in harmony to make an explosion of coloured shapes covering the whole area. This debut picture book was written to help the son of this husband-and-wife team fit into nursery and make friends – but it is such a universal story of finding a place in the world it has been snapped up worldwide! It is entertaining, amusing, charming and playful, as well as exploring shapes and how they can fit together. Each shape has a couple of double pages to itself (with Triangle joining in) and all shapes have their own variations of the same colour – so by the end spread of all the shapes there is a veritable rainbow of colours to see and enjoy. A simple book that uses shapes to explore concepts of individuality and inclusion. You can find more books with a theme of Friends & Friendship here.
A delightful touchy-feely book with simple, repetitive text. Bright, colourful illustrations with textures to touch and feel on every page. Helps very young children develop language and sensory skills.
Part of a brand-new series of board books Let's Look At... and with beautiful artwork from bestselling author and illustrator Marion Deuchars, this book is the perfect introduction to counting.
With bold illustrations and energetic storytelling, Wolfboy perfectly captures the big feelings that come with being very hungry! Engaging, original and perfect for reading aloud, this funny and fresh picture book is a must-have for anyone who's ever been impatient for their food.
This new picture book is the perfect gift this Easter. It's Easter time and Madame Gazelle has a special Easter surprise for Peppa and her friends after playgroup - Miss Rabbit has organised an Easter Egg-stravaganza! There's Easter cakes, Easter cards to make, an egg decorating stall and Granny and Grandpa Pig's fluffy newly-hatched chicks, but where is Miss Rabbit? And who is inside the huge Easter egg? Peppa Loves Easter!
Martha Mumford’s charming little bunnies are becoming familiar figures in children’s books and this is the third book in which they star. Here they skip out together on the hunt for Easter eggs – yum, yum! Young readers can help the bunnies find the eggs which are hidden under flaps, but the book is full of treats. The nursery-rhyme-style text will have everyone joining in and counting along as the eggs are discovered, but every page is a lively delight. The bunnies cross streams and fields, visit the fun fair and make Easter garlands. There is so much to spot in the illustrations, look closely and you’ll find a little frog hiding on every spread. As delicious as an Easter egg, and it will last a lot longer.
With bold illustrations and energetic storytelling, Wolfboy perfectly captures the big feelings that come with being very hungry! Engaging, original and perfect for reading aloud, this funny and fresh picture book is a must-have for anyone who's ever been impatient for their food.
Martha Mumford’s charming little bunnies are becoming familiar figures in children’s books and this is the third book in which they star. Here they skip out together on the hunt for Easter eggs – yum, yum! Young readers can help the bunnies find the eggs which are hidden under flaps, but the book is full of treats. The nursery-rhyme-style text will have everyone joining in and counting along as the eggs are discovered, but every page is a lively delight. The bunnies cross streams and fields, visit the fun fair and make Easter garlands. There is so much to spot in the illustrations, look closely and you’ll find a little frog hiding on every spread. As delicious as an Easter egg, and it will last a lot longer.
The words provide a language of communication long before conversation is possible and the joy in recognising them over many re-readings provides endless shared pleasure while the pictures can be enjoyed first jointly and then by the child alone as they pour over the images they love.
Included in our selection are a range of really sturdy and interactive books suitable books for babies and toddlers for the bedroom, the car, the bath, the buggy and the playroom. Books that even the tiniest baby will enjoy alone and with their parents.
Titles in this section will be refreshed each month with a range of new and older titles that we feel should not to be missed by any baby or toddler.
There are some excellent free reading activities on the Small Talk website small-talk.org.uk/0-6-months
And click here to read some helpful tips from top childrens' publisher Egmont.
Check out the latest activities in our KidsZone.
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