5 board books my children loved

Something that I think is very important in books for young children, alongside an amazing story, pictures and message, is durability. In the literal sense. If a child takes a shine to a book and wants to read it again and again, those pages will get ripped and chewed, so that’s why I love board books – they’re such a good idea for young children.

Board books are also easier for little hands to turn the pages themselves once they are able to, encouraging reading independence.

5 board books my children loved

/ Spot Goes to the Library by Eric Hill

It’s all about… Spot the Dog and his friends doing lots of fun, simple things together, in the most wholesome way. I’ve used this Spot book as a marker for all of them really. There are so many in the series and all so loved by my boys. This series also get a lot of points for nostalgia as I remember loving Spot books as a child too.

/ Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell

It’s all about… finding the perfect pet. Lift-the-flap books are always a hit with children. In what is perhaps a contradicting point to what I said earlier about durability (you will probably need to tape a few ripped flaps along the way) they do provide such a great level of interaction that children will be instantly drawn too. Originally published in 1982, this is another multi-generational classic.

/ The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

It’s all about… merging activity, colour, education and joy for an interactive tale that, in my experience, children want to read over and over again. It’s got counting, the life cycle of a caterpillar and an indulgence in delicious foods. What more could you ask for?

/ That’s Not My Tiger… by Fiona Watt

It’s all about… Texture fun. There is potentially hundreds of these That’s not my books at this point and they are a guaranteed hit with babies and toddlers. Their hook is a different tactile texture on each page for children to touch. Two other elements I love are that the story actually starts on the front cover and each story is being narrated by the mouse who appears somewhere on every page. Here, author Fiona Watt explains a little more about her iconic series.

/ Hide-and-Seek Pig… by Julia Donaldson

It’s all about… Pig and hen playing all kids’ favourite game: hide-and-seek. We’re huge Julia Donaldson fans in our house (other favourite books of hers here) and the lift-the-flap Tales from Acorn Wood series is aimed at younger readers. She partners with illustrator Axel Scheffler on these books too so they have recognisable elements from The Gruffalo.

What else would you add to this list? Let me know!