Holiday Book Gifts: Ages 0 – 2
by Elizabeth Harrison
Books are among the very best gifts for babies and toddlers! They get little ones exposed to and interested in literacy early on, and they offer amazing opportunities for child-caregiver bonding. My most treasured memories with my toddler are those we spent snuggled up together with a book between us. Many books available today offer interactive elements that make reading feel like playing!
Whether shopping for Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or “just because,” here are the best books to gift to babies and toddlers this holiday season.
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Bluey and Bingo's Book of Singy Things
Available from:Tap into your child’s love of Bluey with this playful board book featuring Bluey and Bingo’s fun playtime songs. Filled with tunes like Poor Little Bug on the Wall and The Wheels on the Bus, this tabbed book is perfect for little fans of the show who want to sing along during playtime.
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The Very Hungry Caterpillar’s Peekaboo Christmas
Available from:Help your toddler look for The Very Hungry Caterpillar as he wanders around the Christmas tree. Try to spot him between the ornaments or peeking out from behind the presents. This book makes an excellent addition to your child’s holiday book collection!
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I’m Growing Great
Available from:This book will draw little readers in with its lovely illustrations of Black and Brown hairstyles donning bright-colored blooms. It radiates positivity and joy and makes a delightful read-aloud in springtime or anytime.
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I Am the Grinch
Available from:This sturdy board book introduces Dr. Seuss’s iconic character to babies and toddlers. Join the Grinch as he humorously shares what he doesn’t like before revealing what he truly loves: spending time with a friend and growing his heart. It is a delightful stocking stuffer that’s sure to win over little readers!
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Noisy Babies
Available from:This is the ultimate interactive board book for the littlest readers! It includes three features that babies and toddlers absolutely adore:
1) full-color photographs of other real babies
2) a variety of sounds
3) touch-and-feel elements throughout.
Little ones will engage their senses while connecting with familiar sights and sounds.RELATED: Best Touch-and-Feel Books for Your Baby’s Bookshelf
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Play with Me
Available from:Need a playmate? Look no further than this fun interactive book. Play with Me invites toddlers to join a playful picnic, giving them choices and teaching them about sharing and friendship. It’s the perfect companion for quiet moments when your little one wants someone to play with. This holiday season, it’s a thoughtful gift that encourages social skills and interactive play. Pair it with Play Outside with Me and Play Games with Me to keep the playtime fun going.
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Peekaboo: Lion
Available from:The Peekaboo series is a delight for young readers. Bright, bold illustrations with sparse, repetitive text and sturdy pages come together in this stylish, interactive board book. Easy-to-use peekaboo sliders and a surprise mirror ending make it a hit for babies and toddlers!
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Ms. Rachel and the Special Surprise: Encouraging Speech and Learning Through Play and Music
Available from:Ms. Rachel is everyone’s favorite teacher — and for good reason! She is fun and full of love. This board book is a natural extension of her show and does a wonderful job of encouraging speech development and learning. With more than 20 important milestones, it incorporates gestures and speech from her popular videos into an interactive story that makes learning engaging and playful.
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My First Book of Coffee
Available from:This one is sure to make parents chuckle. Celebrate coffee culture in this board book featuring babies and toddlers with their coffee-loving grown-ups. Families coping with sleepless nights and early mornings will enjoy this humorous book. It’s an excellent holiday gift because it provides a touch of humor and warmth, perfect for brightening up the winter season.
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Group Hug!
Available from:This truly adorable counting book celebrates the power of group hugs! Join a cast of animals from around the world, including pandas, lemurs, and llamas, as they share warm embraces. This board book features cleverly shaped pages and peek-throughs that bring the animals together in sweet hugs. Families will love how it highlights the themes of love and friendship.
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Bizzy Bear: Ferry Captain
Available from:This title is the latest installment in one of my top series for little hands. The interactive elements are engaging and sturdy — something parents love! In this dynamic new title, Bizzy Bear is a ferry captain. Join him on a day of adventure with tabs to slide, push, and pull as he takes readers to their destination. It’s a fantastic choice for toddlers who love hands-on fun and exploration!
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My Hands Can
Available from:This title teaches young readers about their hands and all the wonderful things they can do. It can be used to discuss themes like kindness, bodily autonomy, and self-regulation. My Hands Can is part of a larger series that celebrates the amazing abilities of our bodies. The series is incredible and has so much teaching potential!
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Tree: A Peek-Through Board Book
Available from:What I love most about this title is its appeal across seasons. Readers watch a tree change through spring, summer, fall, and winter. Toddlers will enjoy exploring the peekaboo holes throughout the book, showing different critters living in the tree each season.
RELATED: STEM-Themed Books for Babies and Toddlers
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You Are a Unicorn!: A Little Book of AfroMations
Available from:This addition to the Afro Unicorn world is full of affirmations for little readers and empowers Black and Brown children. You Are a Unicorn! celebrates their unique, divine, and magical selves, making it a powerful, uplifting read for little ones.
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Richard Scarry’s Cars and Trucks Touch-and-Trace
Available from:Enjoy the nostalgia of Richard Scarry with this hands-on, interactive twist to Richard Scarry’s Cars and Trucks and Things That Go. This touch-and-trace board book brings Busytown to life, letting little ones use their fingers to follow paths and solve mazes. With various wacky vehicles and playful mazes, it’s the perfect gift for youngsters to explore and engage with the classic world of Busytown.
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Teeny Tiendas: The Fruit Shop/La frutería
Available from:Especially great for bilingual families, this darling title introduces kids to fruits sold in the fruit shop (la frutería) in English and Spanish. It includes common fruits like watermelon and lesser-known fruits like loquat and dragon fruit. Kids will enjoy the illustrations of diverse families, including children and babies, as they stroll through Mr. Manzano’s fruit shop. This bilingual board book is a sweet way to explore new words while celebrating the vibrant community around them.
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Touch and Learn: Space
Available from:Journey through outer space and explore the solar system with this touch-and-feel board book. Colorful artwork with seek-and-find objects on every page will make it a favorite for little readers. They’ll also enjoy the companion books Touch and Learn: Ocean and Touch and Learn: Farm.
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Dragon’s First Taco
Available from:The only thing better than a real taco is a board book shaped like a taco! This book, designed by the creators of Dragons Love Tacos, makes a delightful gift for the littlest readers. I especially love how the cover art is a removable sticker, allowing littles to make their “taco” look extra realistic.
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Hair Love ABCs
Available from:Inspired by the bestselling title Hair Love, Hair Love ABCs is an inclusive and empowering alphabet book! The story features Zuri and her dad from the original title, and each letter represents an element or description of Black hair.
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10 Little Construction Trucks
Available from:A counting book featuring a popular, high-interest topic for toddlers? Yes, please! Fans of cars and trucks can count down from ten to one as they follow construction vehicles on a busy workday. This sturdy board book is perfect for the youngest readers and will delight little vehicle lovers. With action-packed pages showcasing bulldozers, rollers, forklifts, and concrete mixers, it pairs beautifully with construction-themed toys for a holiday gift.
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Who Will You Be?
Available from:The holidays are a great time to gift keepsake books children can grow alongside. This is one of them! Who Will You Be? is full of inspiration for young readers and boasts the most charming, colorful illustrations.
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Little Dinosaur
Available from:An absolutely perfect book to add to the bedtime story rotation! Follow Rumble the Triceratops as he races through the jungle to get to bed on time. The imaginative story and vivid illustrations capture little ones' attention while settling them down for sleep.
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Meet the Emotions (Disney/Pixar Inside Out 2)
Available from:With the recent release of Inside Out 2, this book offers the perfect opportunity to further the social-emotional learning themes introduced in the movie. With it, your little one can get to know the different emotions from the film. Babies and toddlers will love exploring these feelings through the fun characters and engaging, colorful illustrations.
RELATED: Board Books About Big Feelings for Babies & Toddlers
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Latke’s First Hanukkah
Available from:Latke and his friends enjoy an eight-night Hanukkah celebration in this playful board book! The party grows as the days go on, culminating with all eight candles lit on the menorah and the shamas. This is an excellent choice to make your holiday celebrations more inclusive.
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Rosita (Sesame Street Friends)
Available from:My toddler has most of the titles in the Sesame Street Friends series, and she loves them all! With minimal text on each page and bright, bold graphics, this series is a toddler favorite. Each title focuses on a different friend from Sesame Street — check them all out! Rosita is a great character for bilingual families.
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First Laugh–Welcome, Baby!
Available from:Even those unfamiliar with the Navajo custom of the First Laugh Ceremony will adore this delightful story. Family members to see who will be the first person to make the new baby laugh. Who will it be? We'll see! A charming tale that so sweetly captures the magic of this precious moment.
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