Now that Mason’s two bottom teeth have popped through, he is getting a little more into reading and a little less into just eating his books. What many of you don’t know is that I was an English Major before I decided to become a doctor– so story time holds a special place in my heart. For my baby shower, I asked guests to bring their favorite books instead of cards and to put a little note in them so Mace could read them when he got older. We have been spending a lot of time snuggling and reading lately, and it has become Daddy’s favorite part of our bedtime routine!
We recently took a trek over to Barnes and Noble and it’s absolutely overwhelming how many baby books there are!! So we made a list of 22 of our faves here! Most of our books right now are board books, because otherwise Mace would probably eaten the pages all up!
1. Baby Signs: A Baby-Sized Introduction to Speaking with Sign Language, by Joy Allen
Teaching your baby a little sign language makes communication less frustrating for baby. This book teaches basic signs he can use to communicate his needs before he is able to talk. I have seen a few babies in clinic use sign language, and it is incredible how much they are able to say!
2. First 100 Words, by Roger Priddy
This book is just so bright and colorful and teaches your baby 100 commonly used words. Just point to the pictures and say the word and your baby will catch on in no time!
3. Pantone: Colors
My parents owned a printing company before they retired, and I remember as a little girl looking though the Pantone color guides and being amazed at all the different shades of colors there were. This book exposes your baby to the idea that ‘Yellow’ can mean more than one thing. It is so so pretty to look at.
4. If You Give a Pig a Pancake, by Laura Numeroff
Pancakes are an absolute staple in this household and I love this book from the If You Give… series.
5. Your Baby’s First Word Will be DADA, by Jimmy Fallon
This book is so simple and quite hilarious and I just MIGHT always change the words to Mama when I read it to Mace.
6. Curious George’s Opposites, by H. A. Rey
Curious George stories are Tyler’s favorite to read to Mason before bed. George has the best heart but always gets himself into mischief!
7. Spot Says Goodnight, by Eric Hill
Goodnight stories are always so great to settle down with before bed. Spot is just so cute that we can’t get enough of him!
8. The Very Hungry Caterpillar, by Eric Carle
This book is SO classic and it pertains perfectly to our lives right now. Mason is OUR hungry little caterpillar and he is learning to eat everything in sight! Day by day he is growing into a beautiful butterfly. Mason loves turning the different sized pages in this one.
9. Baby Touch and Feel: Animals, by DK
Sensory play is so important for little ones development. We are huge animal lovers and Mace loves touching the various textures in this book!
10. Dragons Love Tacos, by Adam Rubin
Because Taco Tuesday is our favorite day of the week! This book is silly and has beautiful images. You can even get a little toy dragon eating a taco to go along with this one.
11. On the Night You Were Born, by Nancy Tillman
This one makes me all teary eyed, because the day Mason was born was truly the best day of my life. I love reading this to him and reminding him that he is SO special and he is the only little Mason that will ever live!
12. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, by Bill Martin, Jr.
Two of our friends from Utah, Jill and Jason, have this book for their little boy and they kept joking about how ‘catchy’ the rhyming is for this one. It is so true – I find myself repeating it in my head hours after Mason has gone to sleep! He absolutely loves the colors and it will teach him the alphabet along the way!
13. Love You Forever, by Robert Munsch
I haven’t picked up this book since I read it to Mason for the first time because it literally left me in a puddle of tears. I think it was residual pregnancy hormones so I have to give it another shot. It is about how a mama will take love and care for her baby forever, even when he is a grown up…but then the roles reverse and the child takes care of the mama. {{cue the ugly sobs}} I already feel like Mason is growing up WAY TOO FAST! This book is where the well-known quote, ‘I’ll love you forever, I’ll like you for always, as long as I’m living, my baby you’ll be’ comes from.
14. The Runaway Bunny, by Margaret Wise Brown
When I was about three years old I tried to run away from home. Yeah, I was THAT kid. My parents are saints. This book teaches kids that their mama will always chase after them and they are always welcome home!
15. Where the Wild Things Are, by Maurice Sendak
Such a classic book about a mischievous boy and his adventures! The illustrations in this book are stunning. Let the rompus continue!!
16. Dear Zoo, by Rod Campbell
We are huge animal lovers in this house, and though Tyler HATES zoos and wants Mason to see animals in the wild..hellooooo Africa! I think this book is SO cute and Mason loves lifting the flaps to see the animals. We giggle over what animals the zoo has sent as a pet!
17. Everyone Poops, by Taro Gomi
Mason isn’t even close to potty training yet but this is a great one to normalize the fact that…well, everybody poops! Even elephants and horses! Then when the time comes, he hopefully won’t be embarrassed about it!
18. Anything Dr. Seuss
These books bring me STRAIGHT back to my childhood. They were my Dad’s favorite books to read to me and I actually still have my books from when I was a little kid. Now it seriously melts my heart to see my Dad reading them to Mason. They are simple, colorful, and the perfect length to read to little ones.
19. Where is Baby’s Belly Button, by Karen Katz
This book is so cute and teaches parts of your baby’s anatomy. You can make a little game of peek-a-boo out of it and I always get so many giggles!
20. I Love You Through and Through, by Bernadette Rossetti-Shustak
This book teaches about unconditional love. We will love our little ones through all of their ups and downs and we will love every single part of them!
21. If Animals Kissed Goodnight, by Anne Whitford Paul
I am the biggest mush ball in the whole wide world and this one shows how all different animal families say goodnight. It is so sweet with sing-song rhymes and colorful art!
22. Where’s Spot, by Eric Hill
Another Spot book made it on the list because we love our puppies in this household! Mason also loves ‘lift the flap’ books and the bright colors in this one grab his attention!
