Books are popular gifts at baby showers for good reasons. Reading helps infants start to recognize speech patterns, new vocabulary, and concepts such as numbers, shapes, and colors. Not only that, reading together is a wonderful way to bond and lay the foundation for a lifelong love of reading.
Featured here are my lists of books that are perfect for new parents. There are so many standout stories, I’ve broken them down into the following categories:
- Books to Welcome Baby
- Books Celebrating the Love Between a Parent and Child
- Books That Will Inspire
- New Board Books to Knock Their Socks Off
- Board Book Classics
- Cornerstones for Home Libraries
- Books for Siblings
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Books to Welcome Baby
Welcome to the World by Julia Donaldson & Helen Oxenbury
You Are New by Lucy Knisley
Welcome by Mo Willems
Welcome to the Party by Gabrielle Union; illustrated by Ashley Evans
Babymoon by Hayley Barrett; illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal
In Every Life by Marla Frazee
Dear Baby and Dear Boy by Paris Rosenthal and Jason Rosenthal; illustrated by Holly Hatam
Dear Girl by Amy Krouse Rosenthal & Paris Rosenthal; illustrated by Holly Hatam
Books Celebrating the Love Between a Parent and Child
I Love You More Than You’ll Ever Know by Leslie Odom, Jr. and Nocolette Robinson, illustrated by Joy Hwang Ruiz
One Day by Joanna Ho, illustrated by Faith Pray
On the Night You Were Born by Nancy Tillman
Littles and How They Grow by Kelly DiPucchio; illustrated by AG Ford
Guess How Much I love You by Sam McBratney
Bunny Roo I Love You by Melissa Marr, illustrated by Teagan White
Made for Me by Zack Bush; illustrated by Gregorio De Lauretis
What We’ll Build: Plans for our Future Together by Oliver Jeffers
I Love You Like Yellow by Andrea Beaty; illustrated by Vashti Harrison
I’ve Loved You Since Forever by Hoda Kotb; illustrated by Suzie Mason
Books That Will Inspire
Little Wonder by Claire Keane
Remarkably You by Pat Zietlow Miller ; illustrated by Patrice Barton
The Wonderful Things You Will Be by Emily Winfield Martin
Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth by Oliver Jeffers
You are a Beautiful Beginning by Nina Laden; illustrated by Kelsey Garrity-Riley
A Girl Like You and A Boy Like You by Frank Murphy; illustrated by Kayla Harren
Be You! by Peter Reynolds
Letters to Live By: An Alphabet Book with Intention by Lisa Frenkel Riddiough; illustrated by Åda Gilland
New Board Books to Knock Their Socks Off
Tummy Time by Mama Makes Books
Chomp Goes the Alligator by Matthew Van Fleet
All Better Baby! by Sara Gillingham
ABC of Nature: A Wild & Wonderful Alphabet by Carmine Falcone; illustrated by Stephanie Fizer Coleman
Big Green Garage by Jen Arena; illustrated by Mike Dutton
Barnyard Bath by Sandra Boynton
ABC 123 Sing Read & Play by Cottage Door Press; illustrated by Malgorzata Detner
Pancakes! (Cook in a Book series) by Lotta Nieminen
Making Faces: A First Book of Emotions by Abrams Appleseed
Board Book Classics
Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle
Good Night Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann
Jamberry by Bruce Degen
Moo, Baa, La, La La by Sandra Boynton
Where is Baby’s Belly Button? By Karen Katz
Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See? By Bill Martin Jr.; illustrated by Eric Carle
Find more of our favorite MUST-HAVE CLASSIC BOARD BOOKS here.
Cornerstones for Home Libraries
Everybody In the Red Brick Building by Anne Wynter; illustrated by Oge Mora
Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus (Pigeon series) by Mo Willems
Knuffle Bunny (series) by Mo Willems
Press Here by Herve Tullet
The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt; illustrated by Oliver Jeffers
Goodnight-Goodnight Construction Site by Sherri Duskey Rinker; illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld
Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein
The Dot by Peter Reynolds
Books for Siblings
How Big Is Baby? by Kirsten Hall; illustrated by Aki
How To Welcome a New Baby by Jean Reagan; illustrated by Lee Wildish
It’s Big Sister Time and It’s Big Brother Time by Nandini Ahuja; illustrated by Catalina Echeverri
I Am A Big Brother and I Am a Big Sister by Caroline Jayne Church
Welcome to the Big Kids Club by Chelsea Clinton; illustrated by Tania de Regil
King Baby by Kate Beaton
Little Big Girl by Carol Keane
Lulu & Zoey: A Sister Story by Carrie Finison; illustrated by Brittany Jackson
Brobarians by Lindsay Ward
That’s My Blanket Baby! by Angie Morgan; illustrated by Kate Alizadeh
Find more BOOKS FOR SIBLINGS here.
Find more of our favorite books for Babies and Toddlers here.
