50 Must-Have Baby Books for Year One

Preschool sibs would love to give baby the adorable prequel of their favorite book Dragons Love Tacos. We can't decide what's cuter: the die-cut pages that fold like a taco or the baby dragon. Ages 1-3

In this book, a past winner of the Good Housekeeping Kids' Book Awards, a googly-eyed red car zooms into outer space, passing the stars and the moon. Eventually, it starts to feel sleepy and its eyes grow heavy. Kids will also like to touch the crinkly textures. A tester who works as a teacher said, “I liked that the crinkle texture was different from other texture books we’ve read.” Ages 0-3

A story that grows with your child features a duck who delivers mail. Read just the story at first, then introduce the various shapes of the mail that the duck brings. Expect big smiles on the last page. Ages 0-3

Pick up this sweet rhyming story about home for baby's first read. (Or gift it for a baby shower.) Pieces of colorful felt reinforce the paper pages and provide a touch-and-feel element. Ages 0+

The eye-catching black-and-white design, felt flaps and a mirror (because babies love looking at themselves) team up to make this cloth book a hit with your newborn. Ages 0-3

Stunning collage artwork and animal sounds engage baby on every page. Older babies will have a blast lifting up the flaps to reveal a tiny creature. A wise choice indeed! Ages 0-3

The board book version of this irresistible classic tale about a teddy bear with a missing button charms both baby and grown-ups. Introduced in 1968, many parents (and even grandparents) may joyfully remember it from their childhood. Ages 2+

A fantastic first birthday gift, this interactive board book teaches little ones how to count to ten on their fingers. As your baby pokes their fingers through the die-cut slots, they become two claws, three ladybug legs and so forth. Ages 0-3

Designed especially for tummy time, this book stands upright on a surface and folds out to more than three feet long. As baby hangs out on the belly, they can look at the vintage-inspired drawings, and, thanks to the built-in mirror, their own cute faces. Ages 0-3

This winner in last year's Good Housekeeping Kids' Book Awards dazzles babies with a variety of winged-creatures, each featuring a different texture. They'll love running their little fingers over the fur, bumps and more. Design-conscious parents will especially appreciate the aesthetic. "The book uses great adjectives to describe each of the wings," noted one parent tester. Ages 1-5

This cute story with black-and-white silhouettes of animals tickling and feeding a duckling is perfect to read at bath time, with a rubber ducky also in hand. Be prepared to pucker up at the end. Ages 0-3

It's going to take a while for baby to totally get what's happening in this story that highlights the pollination process. But, for now, use this winner in last year's Good Housekeeping Kids' Books Awards to show off pretty flowers and helpful bees. "So entertaining and different than other books we’ve read, it’s teaching my kids about bees and their important job,” said one parent reviewer. Ages 0-3

A speech language pathologist devised this book to help baby say the word you've been dying to hear: "Mama." Photos of real-life moms and babies combined with the short relatable phrases help boost baby's language skills. Ages 0-4

You can't really go with any Sarah Boynton board book, but this "Greatest Hits" collection of four, including Moo, Baa, La La La, will bring on the baby laughs. Ages 1-5

This book offers sweet, rhyming instructions, like, "Count to LOVE on your fingers and toes. 1-2-3-4 touch your nose." Your baby will love watching you play along. Ages 0-3

For kids who love to get their hands into things, this book features a sliding mechanism on every page that reveals a surprise. Plus, the reveals are usually adorable, courtesy of illustrator Ingela P. Arrhenius. Ages 0-2

You can level up your peekaboo game with help from this board book. Adorable animals cover their eyes with die-cuts of their wings, feather or tails. As you read the cute story, you'll lift each flap revealing the animal. Ador-Boo-le. Ages 0-3

Around 9 to 12 months, babies can give high fives—and use this colorful book to practice. Babies, toddlers and preschoolers can all enjoy this story together. Ages 1-3

This book combines simple, rhyming text with Caldecott Honor-winning pictures. It's a snapshot of a day told with so much depth you won't tire of it. Ages 1-4

Steven Weinberg's books — Dishwasher's Big Job, Fridge and Oven's Big Job and Washer and Dryer's Big Job — are all odes to the machines that make our homes run. And babies also are attracted to the included googly eyes. Ages 0-3