When it comes to birthday gifts for 0-2 year olds, books can’t be beat. They’re fun for kids…and for parents too!
Books provide hours of entertainment. They won’t add to the mountain of bulky toys in the toy box. Plus, they’re educational and they inspire parents to spend quality time with their wee ones.
Give a book – and you’ll be guaranteed smiles from both parent and child.
Following please find my top 9 picks for the birth to age two category. Most of them are board books and most of them are under $10. ALL of them feature lyrical text and captivating illustrations.
Green Eggs & Ham – Written and Illustrated by Dr. Seuss (Random House, 1960)
Good Night Moon – Written by Margaret Wise Brown, Illustrated by Clement Hurd (HarperFestival, 1991)
Only You – Written by Robin Cruise, Illustrated by Margaret Chodos-Irvine (Harcourt, 2007)
That’s Not My Puppy – Written by Fiona Watt, Illustrated by Rachel Wells (Usborne Publishing, 1999)
Where Is Baby’s Belly Button? – Written and Illustrated by Karen Katz (Little Simon, 2000)
Put Me In The Zoo – Written and Illustrated by Robert Lopshire (Random House, 2001)
Hush Little Puppy – Written by April Pulley Sayre, Illustrated by Susan Winter (Henry Holt and Company, 2007)
I Love You Through and Through – Written by Bernadette Rossetti-Shustak, Illustrated by Caroline Jayne Church (Scholastic, 2005)
How Do I Love You? – Written by Marion Dane Bauer, Illustrated by Caroline Jayne Church (Scholastic, 2009)
SO…Are you shopping for a gift for a 6-month-old, a 1-year-old, or a 2-year-old? Why not buy 2-4 books? Wrap them with fun paper and add a big bow on top. TA-DA! The perfect gift!
WIN IT! One winner will receive the last two books highlighted in this post: I Love You Through and Through and How Do I Love You?. To enter, leave any topic-related comment on this post prior to Monday, March 16 at midnight (Don’t forget to follow the rules…all generic comments like “Enter me!,” “Love it,” and “Cool stuff!” will be disqualified.). * Winner must provide a U.S. mailing address.
*UPDATE* The winner is #16 Becca. Congratulations!
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Lily Kwan says
March 16, 2009 at 11:58 pmThese books look very interesting. I would love to give them to my friend.
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Heather says
March 16, 2009 at 9:12 pmThese books sound wonderful! I know my sister would love them!
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Tia says
March 16, 2009 at 7:47 pmI love books and it would be so fun to read these to my daughter! I know you shouldn’t judge a book by it’s cover but I think the illustrations on the front are adorable.
nhmummab@comcast.net
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Dawn Fiske says
March 16, 2009 at 3:24 pmMy children love books…and I already have some. The additional suggestions are a must for this site has great suggestions.
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Ed Nemmers says
March 16, 2009 at 3:16 pmFor my niece Hannah!
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Lori Z. says
March 16, 2009 at 11:47 amI actually like to have a few books in a box I keep for gifts when we have last minute birthday party/baby shower. Goodnight Moon is classic and so are the Eric Carle books!
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Jodi says
March 16, 2009 at 10:36 amI have read the majority of those books to my little ones, and they are all great books.
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Rob says
March 16, 2009 at 9:21 amThese are all great books. You can’t go wrong with giving a child a book.
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Carrie Allen says
March 16, 2009 at 6:30 amWow you picked some good books. My kids love books. It is nice when they want books instead of toys. That doesnt always happen but it does alot. They really love to read. This would be such a great addition. I know my children will cherish them along with their other books. Thanks for the chance to win.
Carrie
carrieallen84@hotmail.com
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Sherry says
March 15, 2009 at 11:59 pmI just adored “Put Me In The Zoo” when I was little. I love all those spots, all those colors. I think that is why I like color so much today.
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lisa taylor says
March 15, 2009 at 10:39 pmI’ve alway loved to read The Hungry Little Caterpillar to my kids when they were younger Great suggestions on the books
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Chrysa says
March 15, 2009 at 9:22 pmThese are all such great books. They would be great for my nephew!
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Aniela R. says
March 15, 2009 at 8:32 pmI agree, I love to give books as gifts.
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Christine says
March 15, 2009 at 7:27 pmThese would be great for my friend expecting twins! Thanks for the chance!
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Sarah Stern says
March 15, 2009 at 6:50 pmA dear friend just announced her pregnancy – I would love to help her start her baby’s library.
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Pam says
March 15, 2009 at 3:59 pmReading is one of the best ways to spend quality time with your youngster. I love getting books.
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prplrush says
March 15, 2009 at 2:28 pmI would love to be able to give these books to my little nephew. He would absolutely love these!
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Gabriel J. says
March 15, 2009 at 1:37 pmPlease, enter me, great prize!!! I would love to win this.
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Carrie Baird says
March 15, 2009 at 10:47 amSome of my fondest memories are those times spent reading to and with my children. Now I am blessed to have grandchildren. These books would be good for them!
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Renee says
March 14, 2009 at 7:42 pmBabysitting for my new grandson who already loves to sit on Nana’s lap and look at the bright pictures (he’s only 8 wks old!!) so this would be a great win for me!
Thanks!
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Marianna says
March 14, 2009 at 9:09 amNever heard of those last two books, but I’ll take your word for it. They look lovely, though. I think it’s important to start young with kids to cultivate a love of books and reading! Thanks for the chance to win!
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Brandy P says
March 14, 2009 at 8:38 amooops…spelled nurture wrong. How can I call myself a teacher? Haha.
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Brandy P says
March 14, 2009 at 8:38 amI haven’t read the last two but great job with the others. The belly button book kept my toddler busy her first two years. She never got sick of that book. We are big into reading and my 3 1/2 year old daughter can now recognize every letter in the alphabet! As a teacher you can really tell which parents take the time to norture their children’s minds by reading and those that don’t. It is SO,SO important to read at least 2 books a day to your child :)
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Marie A says
March 14, 2009 at 12:44 amMy daughter and I enjoy ‘The Lorax’ by Dr. Seuss but we are looking to expand our favorites. These look great. Thanks.
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Catherine copeland says
March 13, 2009 at 4:31 pmI love reading to my wee ones. i now they love it when i read to them
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Marie says
March 13, 2009 at 9:00 amWe have a lot of books (which I almost always buy second hand at book fairs) and we go to the library a lot also. My kids love books which makes me really happy! Dr. Suess is a big favorite in our house, along with anything by Mercer Mayer :-)
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Pamela S says
March 12, 2009 at 9:06 pmWe’re a book loving family but I only have 2 of the books you mentioned…the first two. So it would be fun to get these for our nightly bedtime reading!! Thanks.
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Jessica Cote says
March 12, 2009 at 6:22 pmBooks are so important for a child’s development! I hope to have my child enjoy reading as much as I do!
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Heather says
March 12, 2009 at 1:40 pmMy kids LOVE books!!! In fact, my oldest will be 5 in a couple of weeks and books are one of the items on his “wish list.” Our family likes to give and receive books for birthdays and holidays… I am always on the lookout for a book that makes me want to read it over and over to my own kids or that would be a great gift for someone else. You know, “little Billy would love this story!”
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judy brittle says
March 11, 2009 at 8:40 pmWhat a great selection of books! My grandkids love books and those in the giveaway look really cute. Thank you so much!
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Miranda Allen says
March 11, 2009 at 4:13 pmI would love to win
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Kristy Clayman says
March 11, 2009 at 2:04 pmI love all the books, but haven’t read the last three. My favorite is Where the Wild Things are – every kid should have that book!
What a wonderful contest – thanks for posting!
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Ruth says
March 11, 2009 at 10:39 amOne is never too old for Green Eggs & Ham.
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Kari Follett says
March 11, 2009 at 8:57 amWe love books! My son’s favorite right now is where the wild things are :)
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Brooke says
March 11, 2009 at 7:36 amAt the age my youngest is, we could have a shelf full of exclusively belly button books and she would love it.
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Cher says
March 10, 2009 at 8:30 pmI am such a book lover and finally my 25 month old is letting me read books to him. Before he would just shove them aside. Now he brings them to me! I would love these to start our collection!
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Kris T. says
March 10, 2009 at 4:55 pmI accredit my success in school to my early exposure to an unlimited supply of books. Any chance I get, I like to encourage kids to read. Thanks for such a great giveaway. Even if I don’t win, it gives me pleasure to see such a worthy contest.
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Gina Stratos says
March 10, 2009 at 2:47 pmGreat suggestions. We’re building our book collection now and the kids just love it.
gkstratos@yahoo.com
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CHARLES KASSING says
March 10, 2009 at 1:46 pmthanks
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Carol Lawrence says
March 10, 2009 at 1:06 pmI like your suggestions,I’ll keep them in mind at the library where I get the grandkids books.
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Karen Gonyea says
March 10, 2009 at 12:14 pmGreat selection of books.
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veronica sandberg says
March 10, 2009 at 11:30 amany of my grandkids would love these
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ellen cunningham says
March 10, 2009 at 11:25 amMy son loves it when we read to him. We would love to win these great reads. Thanks for the chance.
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Tarah says
March 10, 2009 at 11:02 amI think reading is so important – my parents read to me when I was younger and I grew up LOVING to read. I hope to pass that treasure down to my children.
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Susan C says
March 10, 2009 at 11:01 amThese would be great for my little grandchildren-they both have birthdays coming up!
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evelyn says
March 10, 2009 at 9:25 amgreat books! Book was my son’s second word!
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Linda Haberman says
March 10, 2009 at 9:00 amWonderful gift for a new mom.
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Djp says
March 10, 2009 at 8:56 amthanks for the chance at this
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Michael Capp says
March 10, 2009 at 7:58 amI’d love to win this to read to my daughter! She is a book worm and can always use more to read!
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Sarah Z. says
March 10, 2009 at 5:04 amI like your list of top books for babies. I have a 5 month old who loves looking at book. I haven’t read “That’s not my puppy,” but we do have “That’s not my dragon” and “That’s not my reindeer.” My son loves to look at the pictures and gets a big kick out of touching the soft material in the books.
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MRS.MOMMYY says
March 9, 2009 at 8:42 pmhave not read the last two either but love kids books
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zmama says
March 9, 2009 at 8:41 pmBooks are my tots favorite past time! These would be such treats to have at bedtime!!
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Shirley says
March 9, 2009 at 6:32 pmI love winning books! They make great gifts for my nieces and nephews
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shannon Baas says
March 9, 2009 at 6:15 pmI agree that books make good presents at that age.
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Pamela Brint says
March 9, 2009 at 6:07 pmWe love books. I hope to win those two to add to our collection.
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christopher h says
March 9, 2009 at 5:56 pmhere’s hoping the last two books you mentioned are as good as the first two
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Dawna says
March 9, 2009 at 3:49 pmthese are so, cool. would love to win them.
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Jen Mc says
March 9, 2009 at 2:49 pmI will definetly check out your recomendations at my local library. At the present my 21 month old loves Where the Wild Things Are (Sendak) and Me and My Mom (Mayer).
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susan varney says
March 9, 2009 at 1:51 pmthe only you book
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Kathy Scott says
March 9, 2009 at 1:30 pmWe always give a book along with a toy for birthday presents. My kids love to read.
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Suzanne B says
March 9, 2009 at 11:56 amOne of my favorite times to be with my girls is evening reading!
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Angie says
March 9, 2009 at 11:38 amWhen I was pregnant with my son I was blessed with several showers, and one of my favorites was a book shower. Everyone brought their favorite children’s book for the baby. He was born with a full bookshelf and now is an avid reader. I can’t say enough about the importance of having lots of books in the home! I’d love to win these to read with my daughter a few times, and then pass on to my nieces Blondie and Cheeks!
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Vicky Boackle says
March 9, 2009 at 10:25 ami love to read with my grandkids.
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c. clemens says
March 9, 2009 at 9:05 ami would gift this to my cousin.
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McKim says
March 9, 2009 at 8:58 amI’ve always given books as shower gifts. I started reading to my kids the night I brought them home from the hospital. Sitting down with a child and reading a book to them is such a delight!
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Denise says
March 9, 2009 at 8:41 amI have three young kids that love bedtime stories and these are all great for that.
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Linda White says
March 9, 2009 at 8:15 amMy kids all LOVED books, got them for gifts, we read them at night, during the day, collected Little Golden books like crazy! I have 3 boxes filled with books of theirs from when they were little!
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Rachel C says
March 9, 2009 at 7:18 amI love giving books as birthday presents – in fact, I need to pick some up for my neice. Her first birthday is next week! These books would be so nice to have on hand….or I might keep them for myself and my first little one, due in a few weeks! :) Thanks so much!
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Erica says
March 9, 2009 at 6:37 amIt warms my heart when 15 month old Cheeks comes up to me with a book in hand and says “Book? Wead?” 3 year old Blondie gets upset if I don’t bring home books for her from the library every couple weeks. We have an abundance of books, but I’d love to feed their addiction and give them these two. Thanks!
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Deborah says
March 9, 2009 at 4:52 amMy two year old just loves books. I read two books to him before each nap and before bedtime. My friend just had a little baby and for a shower gift I sent her some Dr Seuss books. I agree that books are a great gift. They introduce new words and ideas to your little ones. They are great for car rides too once your baby can hold the book on their own and turn the pages.
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Mary says
March 8, 2009 at 11:08 pmI am about to have my 3rd baby (3 under 3) and have a overwhelming amount of toys- 3 age seasons of toys. After this last Christmas I decided that from now on if my gifts are homemade, my gifts will be books. Because, I can be overwhelmed by toys, but my husband i love to be surrounded by books, and I would love my kids to be as well.
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Serena says
March 8, 2009 at 9:43 pmI love Goodnight Moon. It was my favorite when I was little. One children’s book that I discovered when my niece was born (two years before I started having babies) is ‘Time for Bed’ by Mem Fox. It’s the dreamiest, loveliest bedtime book. The colors in the illustrations are beautiful. I love it.
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Damselfly says
March 8, 2009 at 9:08 pmWe enjoy Karen Katz’s books, and “I Love You Through and Through” is definitely one of our favorites. :)
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Becca says
March 8, 2009 at 8:22 pmBooks are my favorite gifts for my daughter to receive. I don’t know why I’m not better at giving them to others. Thanks for the great suggestions! My daughter’s all time favorite is Brown Bear, Brown Bear.
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Sara says
March 8, 2009 at 8:17 pmI have read I love you through and through and it is so sweet. We would love a copy and another book from the same author! Thanks!
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Samantha S. says
March 8, 2009 at 8:08 pmYou’ve got some great suggestions on your list! As a former first grade teacher, I experienced firsthand how important it was for kids to have been read with at home, so I always include books when I give a baby gift. My current favorite book to give is “DOG” by Matthew Van Fleet. It is a book filled with pull-tabs and tactile areas, and it’s been adored by my son ever since he received it as a first birthday gift. I can’t imagine a kiddo who wouldn’t love it…it’s just a really fun book.
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Rhonda says
March 8, 2009 at 7:54 pmThree of the top two have been favorites of ours as well Green Eggs… Goodnight Moon & the Useborn, That’s Not My… What a good way to spend time together, Huh!?
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Blessed says
March 8, 2009 at 7:49 pmMy little Sugar loves books. She is always wanting to look at “bookies” and wants to read! She has us read to her then she reads the book to us. I always give a book to my nieces and nephews each year for their birthday too – in addition to the clothes or toys :)
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allie says
March 8, 2009 at 7:32 pmMy baby LOVES books! He knows the sign for “book” and often prefers to play with (ok, chew on, too) a book than most other toys. I love your suggestions and I really wish people would give him more books rather than clothes and plastic toys. I’d forgotten all about “Put Me in the Zoo,” but seeing it on your list brought back memories from my childhood!
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Madeline says
March 8, 2009 at 7:20 pmI love the books in your list, and we own quite a few. Though, I haven’t seen the last two. They look great!
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Kellie says
March 8, 2009 at 6:42 pmMy daughter is almost two…and she loves so many different kids of books! The only one we have from this list is Goodnight Moon, which of course I have memorized :)
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Sarah Berry says
March 8, 2009 at 6:10 pmI love the Only You Book! I bought it for Brea last year. It is a beautiful book. I agree that books are an excellent gift. Most children love books! Board books are a definite if your child is like mine (she rips the pages.) Thanks for a great giveaway
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L says
March 8, 2009 at 5:09 pmWe must think a lot alike since we have the majority of the books on the list – but the last two. We love books! “That’s Not my Puppy” is one of the current favorites.
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ashleyc says
March 8, 2009 at 4:37 pmmy daughter turned one on thursday and she received so many books! i was so happy to see her reading collection grow!
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Sarah T. says
March 8, 2009 at 4:08 pmWe love giving & receiving books as gifts. Whenever we check out a book from the library that we really enjoy, I add it to our amazon.com “wishlist” – that way, when birthdays or Christmas roll around I have a great list to buy from.
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Allison says
March 8, 2009 at 3:58 pmWe live for books in this house! Dr. Seuss books are my favorite, but my son still enjoys mostly touch and feel books or other books that move very fast. The “that’s not my…” books are fantastic!
Would love to read the last two.
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Jinxy says
March 8, 2009 at 3:53 pmThose are great suggestions. I have a 10 week old and I’m trying to build up her book collection.
Thanks
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Christine Jensen says
March 8, 2009 at 3:38 pmGreat suggestions! Another great one for that age range is Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. It is a great, fun introduction to the alphabet. It feels like a song (and may even get stuck in your head, just like a good song!)
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Anne at Catholic Mommy Brain says
March 8, 2009 at 3:27 pmI haven’t read these last two, but they look darling!