10 Pictures Books Your Baby Will Love

Reading aloud to your child is a wonderful shared activity you can continue for years to come. It’s an important part of a baby’s stimulation and can:

• Teach your baby about communication
• Introduce concepts such as numbers, letters, colours and shapes in a fun way
• Build listening, memory and vocabulary skills
• Offer your baby information about the world around them.

Believe it or not, by the time your baby reaches their first birthday they will have learned all the sounds needed to speak their native language. The more stories you read aloud, the more words your child will be exposed to and the better he or she will be able to talk.

Hearing words helps to build a rich network of words in a baby’s brain. Studies show that children who are read to frequently from an early age are more likely to learn to read at the right time. And when you choose story books, your child hears you using many different emotions and expressive sounds, which fosters social and emotional development.

Reading also invites your baby to look, point, touch and answer questions – all of which promote social development and thinking skills. But most importantly, reading aloud creates a connection for your baby and instills a love for books that will stay with them forever. Your voice and your closeness are your baby’s favourite things and when books are read with joy, excitement and closeness, they begin to associate books with happiness.

So as you can see, books for babies are hugely important!

To get you started on your reading journey, we’ve selected our ten favourite books for babies. These books offer everything you need to get your baby excited about reading…

1. Where is the Green Sheep – Mem Fox & Judy Horacek

In this quirky, fun, rhythmic and beautifully illustrated children’s book, award-winning Australian author Mem Fox encourages your child to go on a quest to find the green sheep. Teaching children varying concepts and simple words, your child will catch on quickly to the text. As far as teaching your child to read and join in on the story, this book is an absolute winner.

2. Pat the Bunny – Dorothy Kunhardt

Babies delight in touching something soft, as well as playing peek-a-boo, looking in the mirror and searching for something cute. Pat the Bunny combines it all to create one of the best picture books for babies and toddlers. The colours are faded pastel and soft on the eyes, while the simple line drawings get images across without the need for extravagant detail. Pages are made with strong cardboard material and kids have eight different activities to go through.

3. Goodnight Moon – Margaret Wise Brown & Clement Hurd

Available in multiple formats, including giant lap book and smaller board book, Goodnight Moon is perfect for infants and preschoolers. The book offers a short poem about a young rabbit trying to stave off bedtime by saying goodnight to everything in his room. But finally, sleep overtakes him, and readers can say night-night to the little rabbit in his bed. The colours are deep and alternate between wide views and ink drawings that will follow your infant into their dreams.

4. The Gruffalo – Julia Donaldson & Axel Scheffler

When mouse sets off for a walk in the deep dark wood he is met by a fox who invites him to lunch. Knowing he might be on the menu, the mouse tricks the fox and scares him away. Will his tale of a Gruffalo work on the other animals he meets? What will happen when he meets his own creation?

The Gruffalo is an entertaining story which brilliantly demonstrates how humour and metaphor can be so effective in communicating important messages. Its funny, flowing rhyme and imaginative illustrations makes it a firm favourite throughout the world.

5. Who Sank the Boat? – Pamela Allen

Beside the sea, on Mr Peffer’s place, there lived a cow, a donkey, a sheep, a pig and a tiny little mouse. One warm sunny morning for no particular reason, they decided to go for a row in the bay…

Full of fun illustrations, Who Sank the Boat? is a wonderful introduction to the concept of irony, and children will love making predictions about the end question – who sank the boat? Each page of the book presents the story of one of the animals and how they might have sunk the boat, but each page leaves the reader wondering. When the culprit turns out to be the least likely of all, there’s a good opportunity to teach children not to make quick judgements.

6. Wombat Stew – Marcia K Vaughan & Pamela Lofts

One day, on the banks of a billabong, a very clever dingo caught a wombat and decided to make Wombat Stew. Intent on making the very best stew, dingo takes the advice of the other animals, unaware that they are protecting their friend.

Wombat Stew is a great Aussie book that every child should own. It offers a wonderful opportunity for different character play and you can even get into a bit of singing. The comical yet realistic illustrations are delightful and children will love the expressions on each of the animals faces.

7. The Little Yellow Digger – Betty & Alan Gilderdale

For any child that loves diggers, this book is a must. Created following a real event, The Little Yellow Digger gets stuck in the mud and must get help. Told in rhyme, this fun story will require multiple readings and will trigger a fascination with diggers that will last a lifetime. Featuring simple, clear text and a practical message, the book works progressively to teach your little one to read.

8. The Very Hungry Caterpillar

If you haven’t heard of The Very Hungry Caterpillar then chances are you’ve been living in a cocoon similar to that in the story. The Very Hungry Caterpillar is one of the most-loved children’s books of all time and offers delightful, colourful illustrations and a simple story that’s easy to follow. Kids get to learn about colours, words, numbers, caterpillars and butterflies.

9. Rudie Nudie – Emma Quay

Book of the Year for Younger Children in the 2012 Australian Book Industry Awards, Rudie Nudie is the cute and energetic story about two kids enjoying those nudie moments between bath and bedtime. With its irresistible rhyme, charming illustrations and lively text, you’ll have a lot of fun reading this book.

10. Bowbeard Walks the Plank – Playmobil/Reader’s Digest Young Families Book

This book is practically a toy, meaning your baby will love it! A plastic pirate from the waist down and a pirate-shaped board book from the waist up, your curious baby can put it in their mouth, throw it down and drool on it before, during and after readings. The cover image of a plain-faced, brown-bearded pirate dressed in red and blue is particularly good for your baby’s developing sight and the simple text makes the pirates adventures easy to enjoy.

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