For babies learning to read, any book with a few large pictures, few large words (more than an inch is great) in mostly lower case, bright colors and tactile stimulation, if possible, will work well.
When you read, point to each word. Allow them to turn the page. (I put my thumb behind the next page on top so it's easier for him to turn it from the bottom.) Try not to prompt them to turn the page. Jett loves to decide when to turn the page and it allows me to know for sure that he's engaged.
If you do purchase these books online, make sure you buy the largest size. Some of these are also made as smaller board books.
You can get discounted books at: Bookcloseouts.com, amazon.com, and
half.comThese are some of Jett's favorites (in order of preference):
Farm Animals ,
Wild Animals,
Bugs & Insects,
Sea Animals (a Touch & Learn series by Hinkler books) bright colors, bright clear photographs, big words and tactile stimulation.
Yip! Snap! Yap! by Charles Fuge (Big, bold words. Fun, colorful pictures with no background. Nice sturdy pages.)
Clip-Clop by Nicola Smee (Big words. Simple pictures with little background.)
Hooray For Fish! by Lucy Cousins (Big, bold words. Fun, colorful, simple pictures.)
Tip Tip Dig Dig by Emma Garcia (Big words that repeat. Fun pictures.)
Yo! Yes? by Chris Raschka (Few, big words. Simple pictures with little background.)
Simple First Words series by Priddy Books
(He loves everything about this book such as the huge font, simple photographs, & buttons that speak the word when he presses it. It's great because I can leave it on the floor and he can't destroy it. Also good for fine motor skills. Don't leave in the car because the plastic behind the battery can warp and mess up the contact.)
The Dog from Arf to Zzzz by Harper Collins Publishing (A few big words. Photographs w/no background.)
This Little Chick by John Lawrence (Big words with sounds and repeating. Fun, colorful pictures.)
Scrubba Dub by Bernadette Pons (Has more words than I'd like, but Jett still loves it. Words are okay sized and the pictures are detailed.)
Cornelius P. Mud, Are You Ready For Bed? by Barney Saltzberg (Cute book. Has some all caps, though.)
Seven Hungry Babies by Candace Fleming (Fun story. Some big sized words, some small words. Has great, bright, expressive illustrations. Jett loves the "sound" words.)
In the Tall, Tall Grass by Denise Fleming (Big, bold font, lots of sound words. Fun, colorful, simple, but abstract pictures. Jett loves it!)
Maybe a Bear Ate It! by Robie Harris, illustrated by Michael Emberley (Big letters, very cute story, pictures very expressive but are a little detailed.)
Kitty's Cuddles by Jane Cabrera
Cat the Cat Who is That? by Mo Willems
(Big, bold words. Colorful, simple pictures.)
Snow by Manya Stojic
(Large, bold words. More words than the other books listed. Cute pictures.)
Rain by Manya Stojic
(Large, bold words. Jett loves that you whisper, purr and shout some of the words. Cute pictures.)
Starry Safari by Linda Ashman, Illustrated by Jeff Mack
(Big, bold, fun words. Fun, colorful, simple pictures but are a little stylized for little babies.)
The Icky Sticky Frog by Dawn Bentley, illustrated by Salina Yoon. (Big, bold words, but the font is a little stylized. About 17 words on a page, more for an older baby. Cute story, has sound words and repetition. Fun, colorful, simple pictures & a cute cover with a tongue to play with and googley eyes.)
Pig-a-Boo! by Dorothea DePrisco and Treesha Runnells
(Bold words, some good sized, some small. Has animal sounds in the text. Fun, colorful pictures with flaps and textures.)
Wiggle Your Toes (Big, bold words, cute simple pictures and fun tactile touches.)
Peekaboo Zoo by Lamaze. (A lift-the-flap book with big, bold words and simple, colorful pictures.)
Bouncing Time by Patrician Hubbell and Melissa Sweet (Big words, 3-19 per page. The word "bounce" is bolded and colored on every page. It's fun to bounce your baby every time you read the word. Fun, cute pictures.)
Emily Loves to Bounce by Stephen Michael King (Decently sized bolded words, cute pictures.)
Leaves, Leaves by Salina Yoon (Board book with nice sized words. Rhymns, but a little boring. Fun, colorful, simple pictures and flaps.)
I Love You as Big as the World by Tim Warnes
Meeow and the Big Box by Sebastien Braun
(Nice big letters! Simple illustrations.)
Five Little Pumpkins by Iris Van Renbach (Big, bold words with rhyming. Pictures are a little too busy and detailed for young babies.)
That's not my teddy... by Fiona Watt, Illustrated by Rachel Wells. (Board book with big words. Colorful, simple pictures with textures to touch. Great for young babies.)
Clap Your Hands by Lorinda Bryan Cauley (Nice sized words, about 10 a page includes actions best for older babies. Detailed pictures better for older babies.)
Oops! by David Shannon
Cuddle Time by Libby Gleeson, Illustrated by Julie Vivas (Decent sized words and cute story/pictures.)
Emily Won't Take a Bath by Domitille de Pressense (Big, bold colorful words, a little wordy for the youngest babies. Simple pictures a little too thinly lined for young babies eyes.) Other Emily titles: Emily and the Snails, Emily Wet the Bed, Emily Won't Eat.
Ten Black Dots by Donald Crews (Strangely written book and pictures are odd too. But, nice sized words and very simple, bright pictures. Jett enjoys this one a lot, although we don't.)
animals bright baby series by priddy books
Baby Food by Margaret Miller (Words are a little small, but the pictures are great.)
Baby Faces by Margaret Miller
Lunch by Denise Fleming
(Big, bold words. Fun, colorful, simple pictures a little too abstract for young babies.)
Read it, Don't Eat It! by Ian Schoenherr
Can you growl like a bear? by John Butler
A Potty for Me! by Karen Katz (Cute, bright pictures & large words. It would appear that the pages are sturdy enough for unsupervised reading, but Jett ripped them out, so you can't leave it accessible.)
Time For Bed by Mem Fox, Illustrated by Jane Dyer (Nice sized words, pictures are a bit detailed for young babies.)
Spots Feathers and Curly Tails by Nancy Tafuri (Nice big letters! Simple pictures. Story is a bit boring.)
Snowballs by Lois Ehlert (Some pages have great big words. Other pages are for older children. Super fun images.)
Happy Birthday Lulu! by Caroline Uff
Wolf's Coming! by Joe Kulka (Fairly big words. Colorful, detailed pictures.)
Spring is Here by Taro Gomi (Big words. Very simple pictures.)
Animal worlds : an early learning lift-the-flap book illustrated by
Helen Cann (Can't play with by themselves, may rip the flaps off.)
Hide and snake Keith Baker
Spot Goes to the Farm (etc.) by Eric Hill (Jett doesn't like the Spot books that say, "No!" when you open the flaps. But he enjoys all the other ones a lot.)
Pig takes a bath by Michael Dahl (Has some capitalization, though.)
Panda Big and Panda Small by Jane Cabrera (Big, bold words. Simple, cute colorful pictures. Nice sturdy pages.)
Shout! Shout it out! by Denise Fleming (Big, bold words. Fun, colorful, simple pictures, but maybe a little abstract for young babies. Also has capital ABCs and numbers, which is probably better for older children. Jett likes it so I go ahead and read it to him anyway.)
Mommy Hugs by Karen Katz (Big, bold words. Fun, colorful, simple pictures.)
Safari Animals &
Polar Animals by Paul Hess (Pictures aren't simple, but Jett enjoys them.)
All the World by Liz Garton Scanlon and Marla Frazee (Big words with concepts that are not concrete. Nice, but detailed pictures.)
Where is the green sheep? by Mem Fox and Judy Horacek (Fairly big words. Simple pictures, but not very colorful.)
Watch Me Throw the Ball by Mo Willems (It's 56 paged story with nice big words and very simple pictures. At 19 months, Jett loves this book. Great for beginning readers as well.)
Do Monkeys Tweet? by Melanie Walsh (Big bold words. Simple pictures.)
dreaming by Elaine Greenstein (Big words with some numbers. Pictures that are a bit abstract and somewhat detailed for little ones. No faces or pictures of things that young babies could really identify.)
Odds and evens : a numbers book by Heidi Goennel (Not my favorite)
I Can Be Anything! by Jerry Spinelli
Snowflake Kisses and Gingerbread Smiles by Toni Trent Parker (Big words, nice photographs, a little wordy.)
The Very Best Daddy of All by Marion Dane Bauer
A Busy Day Big Hug Series by John Grace and Illustrated by Stuart Trotter (Fairly big words, simple pictures, about two words per page)
If... by Sara Perry
(Nice sized words, pictures are a bit detailed [and strange!] for young babies.)
Fuzzy Yellow Ducklings by Matthew Van Fleet (Can't play with alone, can be ripped.)
First the Egg Maisy Dresses Up by Lucy Cousins (Big bold words and colorful pictures. Story a little boring. Surely the other Maisy books are more fun to read.)
Together by Jane Simmons
Baby Animals by Nicola Tuxworth (Big words, great photographs.)
My Shimmery Fun Time Book by Salina Yoon (Big words, one under every cute, simple picture.)
Deep in the Rainforest by Gwen Pascoe, Illustrated by Veronica Jefferis (Words are nice and big and repeat throughout the book. Pictures are detailed but they also separate the pictures so you can talk about them.)
What Color? (Some words are decent sized, some small. Single sentence on a page with other pages that have words under the pictures. Nice clear photographs.)
The Beginner's Guide to Bears by Gillian Shields & Sebastien Braun (Has nice sized words, but it's a little wordy. It's not a favorite.)Other books that may fit the criteria that I haven't seen in person:
Brimax Babies' series for ages 6-24 months. One word per page. I understand that the print is still a bit small but better than most books.
Where's Mom by Libby Gleeson
The Great Big Scary Dog by Libby Gleeson
A Quiet Walk Big Hug Series by John Grace
Hide and Seek Counting Big Hug Series by John Grace
Rainbow Colors Big Hug Series by John Grace
When I Grow Up by Al Yankovic
Ten in the Bed by Jane Cabrera
Mommy Carry Me Please by Jane Cabrera (Print is a little small.)
If You're Happy & You Know It by Jane CabreraOld Mother Hubbard by Jane Cabrera
In a the Small, Small Pond by Denise Fleming
Count! by Denise Fleming
Barnyard Banter by Denise Fleming
Where Once There Was A Wood by Denise Fleming
Time to Sleep by Denise Fleming
Momma Cat Has Three Kittens by Denise Fleming
Country Animals by Lucy Cousins
- Doctor Maisy
by Lucy Cousins
Hardcover, Bt Bound, ISBN 0613747836 (0-613-74783-6) - by Lucy Cousins
Hardcover, Harpercollins Childrens Books, ISBN 0688100716 (0-688-10071-6) - Fun With Maisy
by Lucy Cousins
Hardcover, Bt Bound, ISBN 0613747615 (0-613-74761-5) - Garden Animals
by Lucy Cousins
Hardcover, Harpercollins Childrens Books, ISBN 0688100724 (0-688-10072-4) - Humpty Dumpty : And Other Nursery Rhymes
by Lucy Cousins
Hardcover, Pan Macmillan, ISBN 0333672305 (0-333-67230-5) More editions of Humpty Dumpty : And Other Nursery Rhymes:
- Jack and Jill and Other Nursery Rhymes
by Lucy Cousins
Hardcover, Pan Macmillan, ISBN 0333672313 (0-333-67231-3)
Jack and Jill and Other Nursery Rhymes: And Other Nursery Rhymes
by Lucy Cousins
Hardcover, Dutton Childrens Books, ISBN 0525456767 (0-525-45676-7) - Katy Cat & Beaky Boo
by Lucy Cousins
Hardcover, Galison Books, ISBN 0735303266 (0-7353-0326-6) More editions of Katy Cat & Beaky Boo:
- The Little Dog Laughed
by Lucy Cousins
Softcover, Penguin Group USA, ISBN 0140554696 (0-14-055469-6) More editions of The Little Dog Laughed:
- Little Miss Muffet: And Other Nursery Rhymes
by Lucy Cousins
Hardcover, Pan Macmillan, ISBN 0333672321 (0-333-67232-1) More editions of Little Miss Muffet: And Other Nursery Rhymes:
- The Lucy Cousins Book of Nursery Rhymes
by Lucy Cousins
Hardcover, Pan Macmillan, ISBN 0333722698 (0-333-72269-8) More editions of The Lucy Cousins Book of Nursery Rhymes:
- Lucy Cousins Nursery Rhymes
by Lucy Cousins
Softcover, Pan Macmillan, ISBN 033378104X (0-333-78104-X) More editions of Lucy Cousins Nursery Rhymes:
- Lucy Cousins' Nursery Rhyme Sticker Book
by Lucy Cousins
Hardcover, Pan Macmillan, ISBN 0333745418 (0-333-74541-8) - Maisy at the Fair
by Lucy Cousins
Hardcover, Bt Bound, ISBN 0613747844 (0-613-74784-4)
Maisy Cleans Up
by Lucy Cousins
Hardcover, Bt Bound, ISBN 0613513150 (0-613-51315-0) - Maisy Drives the Bus
by Lucy Cousins
Hardcover, Bt Bound, ISBN 0613279611 (0-613-27961-1)
Maisy Goes Swimming
by Lucy Cousins
Hardcover, Little Brown & Co, ISBN 0316158348 (0-316-15834-8) More editions of Maisy Goes Swimming:
Maisy Goes to Bed
by Lucy Cousins
Hardcover, Little Brown & Co, ISBN 0316158321 (0-316-15832-1) More editions of Maisy Goes to Bed:
Maisy Makes Gingerbread
by Lucy Cousins
Hardcover, Bt Bound, ISBN 0613215966 (0-613-21596-6)
Maisy Makes Lemonade
by Lucy Cousins
Hardcover, Bt Bound, ISBN 0613513169 (0-613-51316-9) - Maisy Takes a Bath
by Lucy Cousins
Hardcover, Bt Bound, ISBN 061327962X (0-613-27962-X)
Maisy's Bedtime
by Lucy Cousins
Hardcover, Bt Bound, ISBN 0613211863 (0-613-21186-3) - Maisy's Morning on the Farm
by Lucy Cousins
Hardcover, Bt Bound, ISBN 0613747828 (0-613-74782-8) - Maisy's Pool
by Lucy Cousins
Hardcover, Bt Bound, ISBN 0613222067 (0-613-22206-7) - More Nursery Rhymes
by Lucy Cousins
Softcover, Pan Macmillan, ISBN 0333783360 (0-333-78336-0) - Noah's Ark
by Lucy Cousins
Hardcover, Canadian National Institute for the Blind/Institut National Canadien pour les Aveugles, ISBN 0616018622 (0-616-01862-2) More editions of Noah's Ark:
- Noah's Art: Scrapbook
by Lucy Cousins
Hardcover, Galison Books, ISBN 0735303274 (0-7353-0327-4) - Nursery Rhymes Humpty Dumpty
by Lucy Cousins
Hardcover, Galison Books, ISBN 0735301301 (0-7353-0130-1) - Pet Animals
by Lucy Cousins
Portly's Hat
by Lucy Cousins
Hardcover, Macmillan Publishers Limited, ISBN 0333466926 (0-333-46692-6) More editions of Portly's Hat:
- Wee Willie Winkie: And Other Nursery Rhymes
by Lucy Cousins
Hardcover, Pan Macmillan, ISBN 033367233X (0-333-67233-X) More editions of Wee Willie Winkie: And Other Nursery Rhymes:

1
What Can Rabbit Hear?
by Lucy Cousins
Hardcover, Harpercollins Childrens Books, ISBN 068810455X (0-688-10455-X) - What Can Rabbit See?
by Lucy Cousins
Hardcover, Harpercollins Childrens Books, ISBN 0688104541 (0-688-10454-1) - Za-Za's Baby Brother
by Lucy Cousins
Hardcover, Bt Bound, ISBN 0613091442 (0-613-09144-2)
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