As spring arrives, it introduces a delightful selection of unique books for very young children. These books, primarily in board-book format, are suitable for newborns to four-year-olds, and some evidence shows that it can even be beneficial for prenatal reading, positively impacting babies in the womb.
Delivery Truck by Stephanie Moss and Taco Truck, by Hannah Campling feature fun and clever designs with illustrations by Natasha Rimmington. These books double as toys, each crafted into a truck shape with turning wheels for fun, easy play. The engaging stories are secured with Velcro, making these books perfect for little hands to push around.
Touch and Trace: First Words, by Sasha Morton and brightly illustrated by Owen Davey, is part of the captivating Spring Street series. This book uses simple, bold colors to introduce basic concepts. For instance, the word “ball” is depicted on a brightly colored page-shaped like a ball, among other concept books like “Opposites,” “ABC,” “Shapes,” and “Colors.”
The Rainbow Snail, by Karin Akesson, uses a large format to teach colors with a charming snail character. Each spread showcases a vibrant rainbow color. There’s also a related bath book, The Rainbow Snail and Friends, which reveals colors on its plastic pages when used in water, adding magic to bath time.
Are You Big?, by Mo Willems, playfully explores size comparisons with bold, simple illustrations and text placed across open-page spreads. Additional details about size comparisons are available on the book’s back page for curious young minds.
Baby Sunflower and Baby Cactus, both by Yu-Hsuan Huang, are adorable small books featuring finger puppets of a sunflower and a cactus. These books are part of a series that also includes “Baby Giraffe” and “Baby Puppy,” providing interactive fun for little ones.
Welcome to the World: Moments and Memories of Baby’s First Year, by Karin Akesson, is a beautifully crafted memory book that provides space for notes, handprints, and photos, adorned with delicate pastel etchings to cherish baby’s early moments.
Peekaboo Who?, by Elena Selena, is an engaging board book with large flaps covering playful animal illustrations. Each page asks a specific question about the hidden animal, making this book both interactive and colorful.
Mary Had a Little Lamb: Touch and Trace Nursery Rhymes, wonderfully illustrated by Emily Bannister, encases five favorite nursery rhymes along with shapes that relate to the rhyme youngsters can touch and trace as you read the rhyme. I love that you can also sing these rhymes as the tunes are very familiar making this a perfect book for the very young. The rhymes include the title rhyme, Five Little Speckled Frogs and Bingo.
Sweet On You, by Lauren Crisp and brightly illustrated by Ellis Rose, captures the sweetness of parental love with its delightful flaps revealing treats like sprinkles and chocolate frosting, making it almost as tempting as real desserts.
Hello Clownfish: Read and Play in the Coral Reef!, by Hannah Rogge with inventive illustrations by Emily Dove, involves matching activities with clownfish and educates about their ecosystem, making it a learning adventure.
5 Little Ducks, by Susie Brooks and artistically illustrated by Sally Payne includes interactive elements like a magnetic fishing pole and duck magnets to enrich the reading experience. “5 Little Axolotls” offers a similar interactive experience with a focus on these unique amphibians.
Dragon’s First Taco, by Adam Rubin and artfully illustrated in the shape of a taco by Daniel Salmieri, follows a dragon’s first experience making tacos, quickly learning that one taco is never enough.
