The Snail and the Whale
Julia Donaldson · Illustrated by Axel Scheffler
Perfect rhymes, gorgeous ocean spreads, and a tiny snail who saves the day. I've read it hundreds of times and I still feel something. Donaldson is basically a wizard.
Best Books for Toddlers
Ages 1-3
Toddler books need to survive conditions that would destroy lesser media. Being chewed. Being thrown. Being demanded forty-seven times before breakfast. Being "read" upside down by a small person who insists they're doing it right.
These are the ones that hold up. Simple enough for tiny attention spans, satisfying enough that you won't lose your mind on the hundredth reading. Board books, short picture books, and a few longer ones for the toddlers who sit still (they exist, apparently).
Masterpiece Tier
The ones I'd rescue from a house fire. And so would you.
Where is the Green Sheep?
Mem Fox · Illustrated by Judy Horacek
More creative and innovative than it has any right to be. Arguably the best book in existence for babies aged 6-18 months. The narcissist sheep gazing at its own reflection lives rent-free in my head.
The Tiger Who Came to Tea
Judith Kerr
A tiger rings the doorbell and eats literally everything including the water in the taps. Nobody questions this. Charming, slightly surreal, and very British. There's a tiger-striped cat near the end that I think about more than I should.
Niche Perfection
Not for everyone—but if it's for you, you'll love it. Trust me.
Dragons Love Tacos 2: The Sequel
Adam Rubin · Illustrated by Daniel Salmieri
Time travel, taco-based paradoxes, and pages where dragons burn everything down. Kids go feral for the fire pages. Zero nutritional value. Absolutely worth it.
Knuffle Bunny
Mo Willems
Cartoons over real Brooklyn photos, capturing exactly what it's like when your toddler goes boneless in public. If you've decoded 'AGGLE FLAGGLE KLABBLE' as a complete thought, this one's for you.
I Want My Hat Back
Jon Klassen
A bear loses his hat. Asks around. The ending is dark—like, genuinely dark. Kids don't notice. Adults definitely do. Deadpan illustrations, lots of uncomfortable eye contact, quietly unsettling in the best way.
Cars and Trucks and Things That Go
Richard Scarry
A pickle car. A banana car. A crocodile driving a shoe. Sixty-nine pages of silly vehicles and hidden Goldbugs. One of the first books your kid will actually laugh at.