Let's Talk About Babies! Books for Young Children

It's time for babies, babies, and more babies!  These books feature beautiful photos and illustrations of babies doing what they do best — sleeping, cuddling, laughing, crying, playing, and learning about the big, wide world!

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For more children's books on family, see Reading Rockets' themed booklists.

Baby Born

Illustrated by: Chih-Wei Chang
Age Level: 0-3
Language: Spanish

Through lovely verse and winsome watercolors, Baby Born celebrates all babies with love! This sturdy colorful book follows new babies through each season and each new step of development, with a surprise under every flap. Sure to become a family read-aloud favorite, Baby Born will appeal to readers big and small. Spanish version available.

Baby Present

Photo of baby
Illustrated by: Ericka McConnell
Age Level: 0-3

You and your baby are perfect just as you are. Inspired by Zen teacher Thich Nhat Hanh and featuring a beautiful collection of baby photos, Baby Present is a reminder to stop and enjoy being with your baby in the middle of all the activity around you.

Carry Me

Photo of Indigenous woman carrying her baby on her back
Age Level: 0-3
Language: Amharic, Chinese, French, Haitian Creole, Hmong, Portuguese, Somali, Spanish, Vietnamese

Whether they are tucked in a blanket, peeking out of a basket, or wrapped in a parent's arms, babies worldwide are carried in unique ways. The simple, rhyming text and beautiful photographs in this board book introduce children to the ways their global neighbors travel. Part of the Babies Everywhere™ series. This books is available in 10 languages from the publisher, Star Bright Books.

Cradle Me

Baby in a cradle
Age Level: 0-3

Product Description: The rich Native American tradition of carrying babies safely, comfortably and close to their mothers in cradle boards endures to this day. Cradle Me celebrates families from different tribal nations and shows how they carry their babies and, with a fill-in-the-line feature, enables readers to translate the words to write their own language.

Global Baby Bedtimes (Global Fund for Children Books)

Age Level: 0-3

Babies love to look at babies and this bright collection of photos is a ticket to an around-the-world journey From Panama to Peru, Vietnam to Argentina, each of the sixteen colorful photos in Global Baby Bedtimes is a glimpse into a new country and culture. Celebrate different bedtime routines and introduce babies and toddlers to their global neighbors as they all get ready to say "goodnight."

Global Baby Boys (Global Fund for Children Books)

Age Level: 0-3

Babies love to look at babies and this bright collection of photos is a ticket to an around-the-world journey From Uruguay to the USA, this board book from the nonprofit Global Fund for Children features captivating photographs of curious, joyful, and adventurous baby boys from fourteen different cultures.

Henry's First-Moon Birthday

Illustrated by: Yumi Heo
Age Level: 3-6

Product Description: Jenny's baby brother Henry is having his one-month birthday — his first-moon, as it's called in Chinese. And even though Jenny's sure he doesn't deserve it (all Henry does is sleep, eat, and cry) there's a big celebration planned for him. Together, Jenny and her grandma get everything ready, from dyeing eggs a lucky red to preparing pigs' feet and ginger soup. And someday, when Henry's old enough to appreciate all her hard work, Jenny will tell him how lucky he was to have her in charge.

I Love You, Baby Burrito

I Love You, Baby Burrito
Age Level: 0-3

From Pura Belpre honoree Angela Dominguez, I Love You Baby Burrito is a modern classic picture book celebrating the act of swaddling a newborn into a "baby burrito."
 

I See Me

Photo of a young baby
Age Level: 0-3

Product Description: I See Me provides a tender snapshot of what an infant's day — or hour — might look like. Each adorable image includes an English caption with space below for parents to translate the word into their own language. Published by the First Nations publisher Theytus Books.

Little You

Child sitting under the sun
Illustrated by: Julie Flett
Age Level: 0-3
Language: French, Spanish

Richard Van Camp, internationally renowned storyteller and bestselling author of the hugely successful Welcome Song for Baby: A Lullaby for Newborns, has partnered with talented illustrator Julie Flett to create a tender board book for babies and toddlers that honors the child in everyone. With its delightful contemporary illustrations, Little You is perfect to be shared, read or sung to all the little people in your life — and the new little ones on the way!

Loving Me

Mother holding a baby
Age Level: 0-3
Language: Diné (Navajo)

Whether it is a gentle kiss from mom, a hug from dad, a playful romp with an older brother, or reading with grandpa, babies and toddlers will discover the importance of family relationships in these photographs of Indigenous families. Loving Me features multi-generational family members loving and caring for a child, as they caress and tenderly show their babies and young children how much they are loved.

Pretty Brown Face

Young baby with father
Illustrated by: Brian Pinkney
Age Level: 0-3

Who is that beautiful face in the mirror? Why it is baby, held by a loving daddy. This simple yet appealing book is presented in a format appropriate for the youngest reader to hold.

Red Socks

Mother holding baby
Illustrated by: Ying-Hwa Hu
Age Level: 0-3
Language: Chinese, Hmong, Spanish, Spanish (Bilingual Eng/Sp)

Baby has fun with Mama as she folds the clean laundry and dresses the baby. A sock is missing! When found and Baby is dressed, it’s time to play outside. Little ones will love seeing Baby getting dressed and finding the sock. Throughout the story Mama talks with Baby about what she and Baby are doing.

Sweetest Kulu

Young baby surrounded by animals
Illustrated by: Alexandria Neonakis
Age Level: 0-3

Product Description: This bedtime poem, written by internationally acclaimed Inuit throat singer Celina Kalluk, describes the gifts bestowed upon a newborn baby by all the animals of the Arctic. Lyrically and lovingly written, this visually stunning book is infused with the Inuit values of love and respect for the land and its animal inhabitants.

We Sang You Home

Young child smiling
Illustrated by: Julie Flett
Age Level: 0-3

In this sweet and lyrical board book from the creators of the bestselling Little You, gentle rhythmic text captures the wonder new parents feel as they welcome baby into the world. A celebration of the bond between parent and child, this is the perfect song to share with your little ones. Internationally renowned storyteller and bestselling author Richard Van Camp teams up with award-winning illustrator Julie Flett for a second time to create a stunning board book for babies and toddlers.

Welcome Song for Baby

Mother kissing baby
Age Level: 0-3

Product Description: From renowned First Nations storyteller Richard Van Camp comes a lyrical lullaby for newborns. Complemented with stunning photographs, this evocative board book is perfectly suited as a first book for every baby.

What's Up, Baby?

Baby stretching arms
Age Level: 0-3
Language: Portuguese

From waking up, eating up, and washing up, the fun never stops for babies and toddlers in this photo-filled adventure of discovery every child experiences. Descriptive words will help build vocabulary and language skills. Filled with dynamic and diverse photos of babies and toddlers enjoying all the "ups" their day can hold!