11 Award-Winning Books to Add to Your Baby's Library

A classic book about a tiny caterpillar whose eyes are bigger than their stomach. Littles will love reading what the caterpillar eats next. With its unique, interactive pages and colorful illustrations, this story both teaches counting, foods, healthy eating and the magic of transformation.

From quiet, lulling poetry to gentle illustrations, Goodnight Moon has been a favorite bedtime story for generations. Join the little bunny in their bedtime routine of saying goodnight, one by one, to all of the things in their room.

Extremely simple words and delicately illustrated cut-out images teach little ones the basics of different life cycles: first the egg, then the chicken; first the seed, then the flower.

No matter what season it is where you live (and even if you don’t get any snow in winter), this book will transport you and baby to a snowy wonderland. Follow the story’s small child through the hushed city as they experience their very first snow day.

The river didn’t know it was a river…until bear came along! This lively story about forest animals on an adventure down a river shows that everything is better with friends. At the center of the silliness are the concepts of building community and how interacting with others can show us new things about the world (and about ourselves!).

Anyone who’s ever spent time with a toddler will recognize the tantrum this little dog goes through when his day out in the city gets too hot and overwhelming. And nothing helps a tantrum more than a change of pace, as this dog’s break at the beach shows. Toddlers can relate to every emotion in this little story, and it might help them process their feelings, too.

From the biggest things to the smallest, all the world is the same. This sweet, poetic book takes a moment to appreciate all the little things in life and how they relate to a larger world and community, ending with a beautiful message: “Hope and peace and love and trust. All the world is all of us.”

Big vs. small is all relative. These bears think they know everything about each other’s sizes—until some other bears come along. Told with simple words, this book can help toddlers understand the difference between opposites and how their perspective can change.

This book wordlessly tells the story of a dog and her beloved ball, and how one day it sadly breaks—a tale that any toddler who has ever experienced the heartache of a broken toy will relate to. And since the story is only told in pictures, grown-ups have the opportunity to get creative with how they tell it.

This quiet, gentle book shows what some toys might be doing when they’re not being played with. For these five toys, it’s all about waiting. But what are they all waiting for? Here’s the answer for any toddler who’s ever wondered: What do my toys do without me?

Families (part of the Celebrating Differences box set by Little Feminist) uses vibrant, real-life photos to depict all the different ways families can look, including BIPOC families, LGBTQIA+ families, families with disabilities, families with grandparents—families of all shapes and sizes. And as an added bonus, this set comes with two other Little Feminist titles: Hair and How We Eat.