10 Most Engaging Board Books For Toddlers

The young ones need colorful, engaging books with little text and sturdy pages. Hence, board books for toddlers are a must-have! Here are 10 of kid’s favorites.

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Bright, colorful, and sturdy board books for toddlers are great to keep your little one entertained. They are a great tool for building vocabulary. They can help with speech development. Toddler-friendly board books can help parents and caregivers introduce various concepts and ideas.

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Below, you’ll find a selection of some of the most fun, engaging, sturdy, and lovely board books for toddlers. Your kiddo will absolutely love them!

“After nourishment, shelter and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world.” – Philip Pullman

10 Best Board Books For Toddlers

#1 First 100 Board Book Box Set by Roger Priddy

It’s a fantastic set of 3 books with 100 basic words, numbers, colors shapes, and 100 animals.

I’m mentioning this book first as it was my son’s first board book and one he loved since he was 7 months old. The first book he started turning pages of, and one that he has read a million times since then. He is 2 years old now and the book is growing with him and often accompanies us on trips and outings.

There are 4 pictures per page and at first, I thought there might be too much going on, but I was totally wrong.

These board books are the perfect size for little hands and are a fantastic tool for building vocabulary and developing speech.
They are seriously super durable and toddler-proof!
They definitely helped my son learn a bunch of new words. At first, I was asking him “where is an owl” and he learned to point to the right animal or object and with time he learned to say the words himself. So now I can ask “what’s that” and he tells me what’s in the picture. He literally knew most animal names that are in the board books before he turned 2!

#2 Corduroy by Don Freeman

Next up, a classic and one of the cutest stories there are, Corduroy.

Besides being a lovely story with adorable drawings the book addresses the importance of friendship and belonging. Parents can definitely use the book to teach kids important values.

This edition of Corduroy is a sturdy, toddler-friendly board book that will quickly become one of your kiddo’s favorite stories for sure!

‘You must be a friend,’ said Corduroy. ‘I’ve always wanted a friend.’

#3 Dear Zoo : A Lift-the-flap Book by Rod Campbell

A colorful, bright, and interactive board book, that the youngest readers will have a lot of fun with.

Toddlers can lift the flap and guess which animal has arrived.

#4 The Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen

A playful story written in rhyme.

The fish seems to always be sad and unable to smile. This changes one day when he’s kissed by another fish. From then on, he’s the one who wants to spread joy.

The book talks about happiness and addresses the question of whether we can change the way we are and feel. It introduces the ideas of joy, and purpose as well as making others feel better.

For more books about feelings make sure to check out:

25 Best Books For Toddlers About Feelings

#5 The Wonky Donkey by Craig Smith

If you need a good laugh you have to meet the spunky hanky-panky cranky stinky-dinky lanky honky-tonky winky wonky donkey!

#6 Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman

A classic, sweet, and silly story about a baby bird who is looking for his mother.

A very durable board book your little one can enjoy for years. Giggles guaranteed.

The baby bird asks several animals “are you my mother?”. He asks a cat, a hen, a dog, and a cow. He even calls out to a plane in the sky “here I am mother”.

‘Yes, I know who you are,’ said the baby bird.

You are not a kitten.

You are not a hen.

You are not a dog.

You are not a cow.

You are not a boat, or a plane, or a Snort!’

‘You are a bird, and you are my mother.’”

#7 Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney

A heartwarming bedtime story that surely holds a very special place in many parents’ hearts.

A simple yet sweet story about the love between a parent and a child, with beautiful illustrations.

“Little Nutbrown Hare who was going to bed, held on tight to Big Nutbrown Hare’s very long ears.

He wanted to be sure that Big Nutbrown Hare was listening.

“Guess how much I love you”, he said.

“Oh, I don’t think I could guess that,” said Big Nutbrown Hare.

“This much,” said Little Nutbrown Hare, stretching out his arms as wide as they could go.

Big Nutbrown Hare had even longer arms. “But I love you this much,” he said. Hmm, that is a lot, thought Little Nutbrown Hare.“

I’ve read some negative comments online of people saying they didn’t like the competitive tone and that it’s sad that the dad didn’t let the kid win. Oh my goodness… people who want to see something negative, will always find it. But come on.
To me, it’s a way of portraying a parent’s unconditional love. I see it as the child thinking “wow, he must love me a lot then”, rather than “I suck because I can’t jump as high”. Anyway, definitely recommend this book and well, you can form your own opinion about it.

#8 Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

Simply a delightful, calming bedtime story!

Very little text with simple vocabulary, perfect for the youngest audience.

#9 I Love You Like No Otter by Rose Rossner

A heartfelt animal pun book. One of the most adorable board books for toddlers on this list, with fantastic illustrations, depicting a parent and their child. I love the colors and the minimal look. It’s just very visually pleasing and fun to read.