Finally one for older kids, but I don’t think it’s a problem to give a baby a book they’ll like later.
(I confess, my grandfather wrote it a million years ago and it’s still in print. Many of the original poems appeared in The Atlantic. I loved it as a kid, and still do.) https://www.amazon.com/Space-Childs-Mother-Goose/dp/1930900465/ref=sr_1_1
Edited to add: agree with the suggestions for Harold and the Purple Crayon. It’s brilliant. Not a baby book, but one that should be in every kid’s library.
I think it’s okay for the people of our generation to give some of the older books that truly are classics. I’d just steer away from The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Goodnight Moon and Pat the Bunny - they are too well known.
@Genevieve18 - thank you for that great link. It looks like a great source for new titles.
I am appreciative of all of the great suggestions. Reminders of so many books my children enjoyed and many titles I wasn’t familiar with. I think we are going to have a hard time narrowing down our selections. @thumper1 That sounds like a wonderful holiday tradition.
My criteria for board books always included whether I liked to read them, since I knew I would read them a million times, lol. These books were fun to read out loud, and you could get “dramatic” by the tone of your voice and acting out some lines.
We always loved the Boynton books - Tumble Bumble, Pajama Time, and Barnyard Dance were favorites
I can’t read Love You Forever without tearing up. My sons are all big enough to pick me up and I remember wondering if that would ever happen when I read the story to them…
My H’s favorite book to read to the kids is Dr. Seuss’ “McElligot’s Pool.” It’s one of his lesser titles, but my family loves it. H actually recorded himself reading it when D left for college and, when she felt lonely, she sometimes watched his video.
My S loved Where’s My Teddy, we read it every night for about 2 years and all had it memorized!
I had forgotten about Each Peach Pear Plum, we loved that too and received it as a gift from my SIL along with Don’t Forget the Bacon which was also a family favorite.
One of our all time favorite books for later was The Paperbag Princess by Robert Munsch.
I saw some fun books in a bookstore a while ago that were board books based on classic literature such as Jane Eyre and Pride and Prejudice that teach something such as color or counting and would be fun for the parents.
thumper1, love your Christmas tradition, hope to remember it and copy it if I ever have grandchildren!
I have a friend who gifted my daughter the most gorgeous pop up book. It was like a work of art. She adored it when she was young and it is being saved for any potential grandchildren.
Winter’s Tale by Robert Sabuta
My DD loved textural books, lift the flap, 3D stuff, regardless of the subject.
Good Night Moon was well loved at our house. It was the first book DD memorized ; )
Depending on what kind of humor the parents’ enjoy…Go the F to Sleep by Adam Mansbach is really funny and a more real take on bedtime (for the adults, not the child!)
I’m surprised nobody’s mentioned “Tiddler: The Story Telling Fish.” Maybe that’s because it’s newer than the others mentioned in this thread.
I hadn’t heard the story when my granddaughter rolled her eyes at another little kid’s tall tale and said "He has a big imagination! " That’s from Tiddler. There are several read alouds of it on youtube.
These are all great suggestions. I’d also recommend adding a bath book. a book made of vinyl that can stay in the bath and get wet. My sons liked having bath books when they were young. We got one for GD and she “reads” it in the tub.
@shellfell – those books are also good for babies who want to love their book by chewing on it I can still recite our favorite bath book “Tubby time is so much fun. Rubber duckie, you’re the one. You don’t know how good it feels to scrub my knees and scrub my heels. I rub and rub till I’m all dry. And then it’s time for beddy bye.”
Definitely going to add a cloth book and a bath book.
My girls love to read and we read to them every day until they could read to us. We all love bookstores. When they lived at home a favorite activity was going to the bookstore and sitting on the floor and browsing. My S not so much.
One of my D pointed out to me how shocked she was to go on vacation with her future in laws and to notice that the toddlers were not read to each day. She also mentors a young child and took him to his first public library visit at age 6. Books, libraries are such a part of our family that she couldn’t believe it wasn’t important to others.
My parents watched my kids when we went away to Europe for a few weeks when they were about 4 and 6. They were pleasantly surprised how happy our kids were at any library and bookstore until the place closed. We LOVE books and reading.
Great to have in the library for a 3 year old: Richard Scarry’s Cars and Trucks and Things that Go. So many things to look at on each page, plus, find Goldbug!
Eileen Christelow’s Five Little Monkey’s Jumping on the Bed as a board book.
She was a big horse lover and did have a horse and a pony.
I can still recite our favorite bath book “Tubby time is so much fun. Rubber duckie, you’re the one. You don’t know how good it feels to scrub my knees and scrub my heels. I rub and rub till I’m all dry. And then it’s time for beddy bye.”