Books · Months 6 to 24
Board books for babies: four books, one for each way they read.
Babies read with their hands and mouths first, then with flaps, then by pointing, and finally with a story. One good book for each of those is a shelf that lasts from 6 months to 2 years.
- 4 picks, 3 skips
- Recall-checked Oct 2026
- Includes the $0 option
Independent picks. If you buy through our Amazon links we may earn a commission; as an Amazon Associate, Betteroo earns from qualifying purchases. It never decides what makes the list. How we choose
The short answer
Four books cover the first two years: one to chew, one with flaps, one to point at, and one first story. Our picks: Indestructibles: Baby Faces, Dear Zoo, First 100 Words and The Very Hungry Caterpillar. All four are in our Budget band. Buy the one that fits what your baby does now, and add the next when they get there.
The AAP recommends reading with your child from birth. On October 5, 2026 we checked each book’s publisher page, live US listing, price band and the CPSC recall database.
At a glance
Four books for the first two years
Indestructibles: Baby Faces
Twelve pages of faces on a material made to be chewed, drooled on and washed.
Price band: Budget Check price Why it made the list
Dear Zoo, by Rod Campbell (board book)
An animal behind every flap, and the same short sentence on every page.
Price band: Budget Check price Why it made the list
First 100 Words, by Roger Priddy
A hundred labeled photos of everyday things. No story, so no wrong page.
Price band: Budget Check price Why it made the list
The Very Hungry Caterpillar, board book
He eats through one apple, two pears, and on, page by page.
Price band: Budget Check price Why it made the listBefore you buy
What a baby’s first book has to do
A common mistake is buying a book for the age on the box set rather than for what your baby does. The AAP‘s stages are a better guide: tasting books at 6 to 8 months, flaps at 9 to 11 months, pointing at pictures after that.
We assess every pick on the same things: the publisher’s age range, the format, the page count, and what it asks your baby to do.
Survives a baby
Board pages or a chew-proof material, as the AAP suggests for this age.
Rated for the age
The publisher’s own age range, where it gives one.
Cheap
All four are in our Budget band.
The picks
Why each one made the list
Indestructibles: Baby Faces
Twelve pages of faces on a material made to be chewed, drooled on and washed.
Not a board book: Indestructibles are printed on a tight-woven material that’s rip proof, waterproof, nontoxic and washable, made for the way babies read, with their hands and mouths (Workman). This one is faces, with few words. The AAP notes that tasting a book is a normal stage at 6 to 8 months.
Why it’s worth it
- Rip proof and washable (publisher)
- Made to be chewed
- Faces, with few words
Key specs
- Age range
- 0 to 2 years
- Format
- Chew-proof woven pages
- Pages
- 12
- What it does
- Faces to look at and name
From the publisher’s page (Workman, Hachette Book Group), checked October 5, 2026.
Safety check
- No recalls found in the CPSC recall database (searched by product name, Oct 5, 2026).
Dear Zoo, by Rod Campbell (board book)
An animal behind every flap, and the same short sentence on every page.
Each page hides an animal behind a sturdy flap, with the same short sentence each time, so your child learns what comes next and gets to lift the flap and find out. It’s a board book from Little Simon, Simon & Schuster’s board-book line (Simon & Schuster). The AAP says babies of 9 to 11 months explore interactive features like flaps.
Why it’s worth it
- Lift-the-flap, so they join in
- Repeats the same line on every page
- Budget band
Key specs
- Age range
- Not listed by the publisher
- Format
- Lift-the-flap board book
- Pages
- 18 (listing)
- What it does
- Lift a flap, find an animal
From Simon & Schuster’s book page, then the amazon.com listing (pages), checked October 5, 2026.
Safety check
- No recalls found in the CPSC recall database (searched by product name, Oct 5, 2026).
First 100 Words, by Roger Priddy
A hundred labeled photos of everyday things. No story, so no wrong page.
A padded board book of photographs with a word under each: food, toys, animals, things around the house (Macmillan). There’s no story, so you can open it anywhere. The AAP suggests books with pictures of everyday objects, and naming what your baby points at; at 12 to 14 months, asking questions they can answer by pointing (AAP).
Why it’s worth it
- Everyday things, photographed
- A word under every picture
- Open it at any page
Key specs
- Age range
- 1 to 3 years
- Format
- Padded board book
- Pages
- 24
- What it does
- Point at a picture, name it
From the publisher’s page (Macmillan), checked October 5, 2026.
Safety check
- No recalls found in the CPSC recall database (searched by product name, Oct 5, 2026).
The Very Hungry Caterpillar, board book
He eats through one apple, two pears, and on, page by page.
Eric Carle’s caterpillar eats through more food each day of the week, until the ending. The board book is 26 pages, and Penguin Random House rates it 0 to 3 years (Penguin Random House). Counting and days of the week give it something new on the hundredth reading. The AAP notes that babies love repetition.
Why it’s worth it
- A real story with an ending
- Counting and days of the week
- Rated from birth (publisher)
Key specs
- Age range
- 0 to 3 years
- Format
- Board book
- Pages
- 26
- What it does
- A story that counts
From the publisher’s page (Penguin Random House), checked October 5, 2026.
Safety check
- No recalls found in the CPSC recall database (searched by product name, Oct 5, 2026).
Side by side
Four picks side by side
| | | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Job | Chew | Lift a flap | Point and name | First story |
| Price band | Price band: Budget | Price band: Budget | Price band: Budget | Price band: Budget |
| Age (publisher) | 0 to 2 years | Not listed | 1 to 3 years | 0 to 3 years |
| Format | Chew-proof woven pages | Lift-the-flap board book | Padded board book | Board book |
| Pages | 12 | 18 (listing) | 24 | 26 |
Which one is yours
Start with your situation
Everything goes in the mouthIndestructibles.
Grabbing at pagesDear Zoo.
Pointing at thingsFirst 100 Words.
Sitting for a whole bookThe Very Hungry Caterpillar.
Want to spend the leastOne book for the stage they’re in now, or the library.
The $0 version
Your public library. Most have board books in the children’s section. Borrowing lets you find which books your baby wants again before you buy any. Reading anything aloud counts: the AAP says what babies benefit from most is listening to your voice and snuggling with you.
The library’s board books, and your voice.
What we would skip
Three things we’d leave on the shelf
They’re in every baby book aisle. Here’s why we’d pass.
Big box sets, bought all at once
Ten books for one price looks like value, but a baby wants the same one or two again and again. The AAP notes that babies love repetition. Buy one at a time.
Books rated for older children, for now
Some board books are rated from 2 or later. Brown Bear, Brown Bear’s board book, for example, is rated 2 to 5 by Macmillan. Check the publisher’s age.
Books with batteries and buttons
Sound books do the talking for you. The AAP says what babies benefit from most is listening to your voice.
What we passed on
- Where's Spot?, by Eric Hill. The original lift-the-flap book, rated 1 to 3 by Penguin Random House. A good one, but we picked one flap book, and Dear Zoo’s single repeating line is simpler.
- Goodnight Moon, board book. It ranked high in Amazon’s board-book search on October 5, 2026. We couldn’t open HarperCollins’s page today to confirm the board book’s age, so it isn’t a pick for now.
- Little Blue Truck, board book. On amazon.com it showed a future availability date today, not stock we could link to.
Questions parents ask
FAQ
When should I start reading to my baby?
From birth. The AAP recommends reading with your child from birth onward. A newborn won’t follow the words, but is taking in the rhythm and sounds of speech.
My baby chews books. Is that OK?
Yes. The AAP says tasting a book is a normal stage at 6 to 8 months, and suggests sturdy board books and soft fabric books. That’s what a chew-proof book is for.
Do I have to read the whole book?
No. The AAP says you never need to read the whole story, and to follow your baby’s lead if they want a different page.
How many board books does a baby need?
Fewer than you think. Babies love repetition, so a handful they know, plus whatever you borrow from the library, is plenty.
Why trust Worth It
How we choose
We don’t run a product lab, and we won’t pretend we do. Worth It picks are researched from makers’ instructions, retailer listings and official safety guidance, not lab-tested. Each is chosen for a specific age and a specific job, the way a friend a couple of years ahead of you would choose: a few products, each with a reason, and an honest note on what could go wrong.
We check every listing on amazon.com for a live US offer and sort it into a price band: Budget (under $30), Mid-range ($30 to $100) or Premium (over $100). We don’t print exact prices because they change daily. If you buy through our links we may earn a commission. That pays for this, and it never decides what makes the list.
For safety, we search the CPSC recall database by product name, and we note the US safety standard the maker says a product meets. Where the maker doesn’t say, we tell you what the law requires for that kind of product. The JPMA’s certification list (now run by the Baby Safety Alliance) isn’t publicly searchable, so we only mention certification when the maker states it. Specs come from the maker first, and the Amazon listing second.
Sources for this page
- AAP: How to share books with your baby
- AAP: How to share books with your 12 to 14 month old
- Hachette Book Group: Indestructibles: Baby Faces
- Simon & Schuster: Dear Zoo
- Macmillan: First 100 Words
- Penguin Random House: The Very Hungry Caterpillar
- Penguin Random House: Where's Spot?
- Macmillan: Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?
- CPSC recall database, searched by product name on October 5, 2026
- Product listings on amazon.com, checked October 5, 2026
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