50 best books for babies & toddlers

A cute woodland animal book with soft felt flaps and a surprise mirror ending – perfect for sharing with babies and toddlers. Little children will love lifting the irresistibly soft felt flaps to discover who is the cutest little person ever – will it be baby bunny, small mouse or tiny owl? They'll find the answer when they look in the mirror hiding under the final flap!

In Lion, Lion, PEEKABOO, babies' favourite game is brought to life with easy grab-and-pull mechanisms and a shiny mirror. Open the pages to reveal the stripy zebra, the spotty cheetah and many more adorable safari animals! With stunning illustrations by Grace Habib, punchy colours to engage babies’ senses, and soft learning about patterns, this is a perfect book for babies aged 6-12 months. 

Busy Nativity introduces young children to the wonderful story of the First Christmas. Push, pull and turn the tabs to join Mary and Joseph on their long journey to Bethlehem as a host of angels appear and reveal beautiful baby Jesus in his crib. The perfect gift for toddlers with inquisitive fingers and minds, they will love playing with the easy-to-handle mechanisms in this bright and colourful board book with gentle rhyming text and magical illustrations.

Research from Dr Caspar Addyman, a leading expert in what makes babies laugh, has shown that playing peekaboo is the best way to get a little one giggling. Babies Laugh at Peakaboo is therefore scientifically developed to help babies and carers bond through reading and laughter. Babies will love opening the pages to reveal smiling, giggling and laughing baby faces, all beautifully illustrated by Ania Simeone.

Rod Campbell's lift-the-flaps book has been a favourite with parents and children since it was first published back in 1982, and this board book version perfect for infants. Lift the flaps together, and discover a lion, a monkey and even an elephant. But will they ever manage to send the perfect pet?

Lift the flaps and get cosy with Dormouse Has a Cold, a story in the bestselling Tales from Acorn Wood preschool series. Dormouse is sniffing and snuffling – being ill is hard! But with some help from Doctor Stoat and a visit from her friends as she snuggles up at home, she soon starts to feel better. What will cheer her up?

Meet all your favourite springtime farm animals in Fluffy Chick, a fun touch-and-feel farm animal book. Follow Chick around the farm and meet all her animal friends: stroke the woolly lamb, feel the cow's smooth horns and then lift the flap at the end to find out who is hiding under mother hen's wing! From the creator of Dear Zoo, this touch-and-feel springtime story will delight babies and parents alike. 

One of the first things babies learn to recognise is faces. In Mirror Baby: Hello You!, little ones will meet a group of babies, just like them! Perfect for early social development, this board book is complete with a fold-out mirror for extra stimulation and stunning black-and-white photography. Can your little one look in the mirror and try laughing, waving or saying night-night? 

In Mirror Baby: Peekaboo!, little ones will meet a group of babies, just like them! The fold-out mirror is perfect for giving babies extra stimulation. Can they look in the mirror and try smiling, waving or playing peekaboo? Playing peakaboo is great fun for babies and parents, and this book offers an easy structure to get everyone engaged. 

Every child is special and unique, but every child also loves to dream of being something different. In I'd Know You Anywhere, My Love, bestselling author and artist Nancy Tillman has created another heartfelt masterpiece celebrating the joys of imagination, and the comfort of always knowing that "you are loved."

A very soft, very cuddly washable cloth book for babies all about London. My First London Bus has bright, simple illustrations by Marion Billet, and features a red London bus with tactile crinkly wheels on the cover. Packaged in a gorgeous gift box, this rag book is a perfect present for young babies and their parents. 

The high-contrast images in Baby's Very First Cloth Book: Faces are designed to help newborns focus. This bestselling cuddly cloth book also has crinkly pages for tactile fun and a mirror for stimulating the senses. Illustrated by Jo Lodge and packaged in a delightful gift box, this reissue of a bestselling cloth book makes the perfect present for new babies.

Also in the Baby's First Cloth Book series is Farm. Complete with the same high-contrast images and tactile pages, this is perfect for introducing infants to animals. The mirror helps to stimulate senses, while remaining a soft and cuddly cloth book. 

You're never too young to meet a Gruffalo! Specially designed to appeal to little ones, simple patterns and bright colours combine with Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler's iconic words and illustrations to keep babies entertained for hours. No pram, pushchair, car seat or highchair is complete without the Gruffalo, What Can You Hear?

An elephant? Too big! A giraffe? Too tall! A puppy? Perfect! What will the zoo send you? Use the handy strap and clip to attach this sturdy board book to your buggy and take it with you wherever you go!

Dinosaur Roar! Buggy Book is a special buggy-friendly edition of this modern classic so even the very youngest dinosaur fans can enjoy Henrietta and Paul Stickland's much-loved book. With rhyming text and bright, funny and lively illustrations to introduce opposites, this will keep babies entertained and engaged. 

Squirty Duck is the perfect waterproof book for bath time! With bright and engaging illustrations from Kay Vincent and an inbuilt squirter, Squirty Duck makes bath time as much fun as possible for carers, parents and babies. Turn the pages together and read the gentle rhyming story about animals under the sea with durable and wipe-clean pages.

Squirty Fish is a fun addition to bath time, along with Squirty Duck. Turn the pages as you splash to read gentle rhyming stories of animals om a pond – and squirt some water while you're at it! With waterproof and wipeable pages for good hygiene, Squirty Fish will make bath time engaging for both babies and carers.