Discover the Best Board Books for Kids
Board books for kids are best for our youngest growing readers from infant age up to age 4 or 5.
Board books are generally accepted as being for the consumption of our youngest and most immediately impressionable readers. The ideal age range for kids board books is infant or baby to 4 years old. After the age of 4 or 5, children seek greater depth to storytelling and characters, more in line with the types of stories found in picture books. Sound, touch, and visual stimuli are some of the essential elements of board books for kids. The variety of shapes and sizes in the board book spectrum is endless. Small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, or large enough to overflow a school backpack.
Some of our favorite storybooks come in both board book form and picture book form. Go Dogs Go, by P.D. Eastman, is a classic favorite describing what seems to be a day in the life of dogs, and comes to life in both board book and picture book form. The board book narrative is more or less the same as the picture book version, a day in the life of dogs, but follows a shorter format with differing text in comparison to the picture book. Both the board book and picture book version are great reads and unique in their own ways; however, the sturdiness of the board book makes it more accessible to infants and toddlers.
Great for bedtimes, train rides and plane rides, ideal anywhere and anytime. During travel, parents pack a few board books in their carryon baggage, and accompany families to new and exciting destinations only previously found in books!
For families seeking outdoor inspiration read these nature-inspired board books for kids:
Introduce Young Kids to Nature With Two Beautiful Board Books
Keep babies and toddlers busy with these must-have board books:
5 Sweet Board Books for Busy Toddlers
Absolute best board book collections for kids can be found here:
The Best Board Books Released in 2019
Kids will love these interactive board books for young children and babies:
Finger Puppet Books by Chronicle Books
Snuggle up with these board books when bedtime rolls around:
3 Nursery Rhyme Board Books for a Fun Snuggle Time
Inspire your future nature lovers with nature board books for kids:
Introduce Young Kids to Nature With Two Beautiful Board Books
Board books are also great gifts for the holidays, especially in a stocking. Here are some gift giving ideas:
8 Christmas Board Books Filled with Holiday Magic For the Youngest Readers
Board books can be ongoing sources of inspiration for our young and growing readers. Keep them low on the shelf and you just might find your kids will load up their hands with board books to fill an afternoon of reading! If you have any great stories or examples of your little ones reading and finding inspiration in board books for kids, then send us suggestions through Twitter, and share your most distinguished board books on Instagram or Facebook with #thechildrensbookreview. In the meantime, let’s keep growing readers one book at a time!
Buy board books in our Book Shop powered by Amazon. And if you’re lucky enough to have a favorite hometown bookstore, they can always place a special order or it might just be on their shelf.
After reading so many books with talking bunnies and dogs, of mice that look cuddly and sweet, of mischievous cats and raccoons, it’s a relief, of sorts, to enter the world of realism, especially one that has the stamp of the prestigious Smithsonian Institution. The realism comes if not through the photographs, then through the information.
Barney Saltzberg is an über-talented children’s book author/illustrator/singer/songwriter. He has published around thirty books, recorded four CD’s of music for children, and has even written some songs for the PBS show Arthur. Once a year he teaches a class at UCLA on writing and illustrating picture books.
Blair was honored as a Disney legend in 1991 for her designs during the golden age of animation. In October 2011, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences honored her with a “Centennial Tribute” at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.
A Kiss for You! Joan Holub. This is an adorable and interactive treat for the little love-bugs in your life.
The poet Gerard Manley Hopkins said, “Read with your ears.” These two books make sure that you do.
A Kiss For You! By Joan Holub and Caroline Jayne Church Is the perfect board book if you’ve got a kid who’s formed a relationship with books.
Add this book to your collection: It’s a Little Book Have you read this book?…
Our Halloween book list spotlights everything from growing pumpkins to plain-old, creepy stories that beg to be read on a dark night with a flashlight.
Passover Books and Jewish Identity
Gardening, recycling, composting, and being at one with nature—including our vanishing honeybees—and all it has to offer; these are great ways to connect young children with our environment and encourage them to nurture our special one-of-a-kind Earth.