Make your baby's first library

Your little one is grown up enough to get their first library!

This list of all-time and newer classics will help you  make your baby's bookshelf.

The books for babies should be bright and beautiful, with pages made of thick sheets or cardboard.

Corduroy

By Don Freeman
A funny, timeless story of a slightly shabby teddy bear in need of a home (and a button for his overalls). He finds both, and a friend, when a little girl named Lisa uses her savings to buy him at the local department store.


The Very Hungry Caterpillar


By Eric Carle


The book's stunning mixed-media collages and simple but memorable story have charmed millions of readers since its 1969 debut. It follows the development of a newborn caterpillar on his trail through a multitude of snacks—who doesn't dream of eating one piece of chocolate cake, one ice-cream cone, one pickle, one slice of Swiss cheese, one slice of salami, one lollipop, one piece of cherry pie, one sausage, one cupcake and one slice of watermelon in one day?—and his transformation into a butterfly. Little fingers will enjoy poking the holes the caterpillar leaves behind as he munches his way through the story.

My Very First Mother Goose


Edited by Iona Opie  


Cheerful illustrations featuring Rosemary Wells' (of "Max and Ruby" fame) stylized animal characters accompany more than 60 nursery rhymes both familiar and lesser-known, and help to introduce young listeners to the pleasures of sing-song language.


Close Your Eyes


By Kate Banks


A mother tiger encourages her restless cub to settle down to sleep by describing the dreams he may have, reassuring him that she'll be there when he wakes, and that "Dark is just the other side of light. It's what comes before dreams." Aw. Lush paintings by Georg Hallensleben (And If the Moon Could Talk) capture the off-kilter world of dreams and the beauty of the natural world, as the scenes shift back and forth between reality and fantasy.



Is Your Mama a Llama?
By Deborah Guarino
Simple, rhyming stanzas and bright, silly illustrations carry readers through Lloyd the Llama's quizzing of his friends about their mamas. When his buddies (including a bat, a seal, a duckling and a calf) give Lloyd clues about their moms, he has to guess what kind of animal they are.

Goodnight Moon


By Margaret


Wise Brown You know you're a parent when you can recite this iconic book by heart. The poetic story follows a little rabbit preparing for bed as he says goodnight to everything in his room, and the world outside his window. This classic bedtime story features black-and-white drawings alternating with the boldly colored illustrations of the room, which darkens as slumber nears.


Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed


By Eileen Christelow


Extending the well-known song, this picture book features five little monkeys preparing for bed, as they bathe, put on their pajamas, brush their teeth and then jump on the bed, falling off one-by-one. Kids will enjoy the repetition and rhyming, and parents will totally relate to the exhausted mama monkey.


Dear Zoo


By Rod Campbell
A classic lift-the-flap book, the story begins with a child's letter to the zoo, requesting a pet. A series of animals arrive—under flaps to be uncovered by the reader—and are discovered to be not quite right (too heavy, too scary, too naughty), until at long last, the perfect pet appears.

In the Tall, Tall Grass


By Denise Fleming


Bright, colorful illustrations show animals and insects found in a child's backyard, as seen through a caterpillar's point-of-view, as they crunch, munch, zip and sip their way through the day. Little ones will enjoy looking for the yellow and orange caterpillar on each page and counting the insects as they listen to the simple, rhyming text.


Are You My Mother?


By P.D. Eastman


This classic tale follows a baby bird on a quest to find his mother after falling from his nest. He asks a kitten, a hen, a dog, a cow, an airplane and a snort (actually a steam shovel) if they are his mother, before eventually being reunited with her, back in the nest.


Kitten's First Full Moon
By Kevin Henkes


In this Caldecott Medal-winning book, black-and-white illustrations capture the struggle of Kitten who, upon viewing her first full moon, mistakes it for a bowl of milk and embarks on a quest to reach it. Although the milk in the sky eludes her, the story ends happily when Kitten returns home from her adventures to find an actual bowl of milk waiting for her.


Love You Forever


By Robert Munsch


A sweet, tear-provoking story of the evolving relationship between a boy and his mother. It follows the pair from his infancy into his adulthood, as their roles shift and responsibility for the other shifts from mother to son, who has become a father to a little girl of his own by the book's end. Do not attempt to read without tissues close at hand.


Peek-a-boo!


By Roberta Grobel


Intrater Close-up photographs of babies' faces capture their many moods, from laughing to yawning to pouting to crying, in this board book from the "Baby Faces" series. The captivating photos will enchant babies, and parents will be charmed by the cute expressions the book elicits from their own babe.


The Snowy Day
By Ezra Jack Keats


This Caldecott Medal-winning classic picture book depicts the wonder and delight a child can find when snow blankets his world, making snowballs (one of which he brings home in his pocket!), snow angels, a snowman and loads of fun.


Time to Get Dressed!


By Elivia Savadier


Little Solomon insists on dressing himself but gets everything wrong (shirt on his legs and pants on his head) until Daddy looks at the clock and steps in to help. Parents and little ones will relate to the fierce independence of this toddler, who shouts 'ME!' with every article of clothing.


Pat the Bunny


By Dorothy Kunhardt


A sweet, interactive book that encourages children to smell (the flowers), touch (the soft bunny), feel (Daddy's scratchy face) and play (peek-a-boo with Paul). First published in 1940, the book remains a must-read fave.


Runaway Bunny


By Margaret Wise Brown


Illustrated by Clement Hurd (Goodnight Moon), and in continuous publication since 1942, the book tells the story of a mother's unconditional love for her child. As her baby bunny tells her of his plans to run away, the pair engage in a make-believe game of chase, where she morphs into a variety of forms and characters (a crocus and a mountain climber) to find him, no matter how far away he travels.

Make photos of your baby "reading" the books and upload to the App. Write what books your little one likes most at all.