The best board books for babies and toddlers — the chew-proof, drool-proof ones you'll read a thousand times before your child can read a word. You own them and reach for whichever fits the day: Goodnight Moon to wind down, Brown Bear and the Very Hungry Caterpillar for colors and counting, Dear Zoo and Press Here for hands that want to do something, Boynton for a first laugh, Global Babies for faces from everywhere, and a first science book for the toddler pointing at the moon. Any one makes a lovely first book.
You own them and grab the one that fits. Goodnight Moon is the last book of the night. Brown Bear, the Very Hungry Caterpillar, and Chicka Chicka Boom Boom teach colors, counting, and letters by chant instead of drill. Dear Zoo and Press Here are the do-something books, all flaps and dots for hands that won't sit still. Boynton's Moo, Baa, La La La! and But Not the Hippopotamus are the ones that earn the first real laugh. Global Babies and Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes fill the shelf with babies from all over the world. Llama Llama Red Pajama turns a bedtime worry into a hug, and Hello, World! Solar System is the first science book, for the toddler already pointing at the sky. If I were starting a shelf from nothing, I'd get Goodnight Moon and Brown Bear first and build out from there. Any single one is a complete gift.