We are a reading family. Or at least, I want for us to be a reading family. I love books, especially children’s books, and I’m intentional about the books I bring into our home and about spending time reading to my kids. Sharing a bedtime story with my kids is often my favorite part of the day. Its just so nice to end the night while connecting over a story, no matter how the rest of the day may have gone. So without further ado, here are some of our families favorite board books. This list is not exhaustive, as there are too many to count, and doesn’t include picture books either. That post will come soon.

Hooray for Fish! by Lucy Cousins

This is one of Wyatt’s current favorite board books. We follow along as little fish swims through the sea and says hello to all of his fishy friends. I love this one both for its rhythm, and for the colorful illustrations. The variety of fish and the bold colors are so much fun for little ones.

Any of the Thats Not My… series from Usborne books.

These are my very favorite touchy-feely books because they offer a unique variety of different textures for toddlers to explore. We own a few of them, but Thats Not My Dragon and Thats Not My Frog are the ones Wyatt reaches for the most.

Any of the Baby-Lit board books.

Have you seen this series? I just can’t get over how adorable they are. They take classic literature and translate it into concept books for toddlers. Wyatt’s favorite is Emma, where each page has a character and a feeling (Emma is excited, Frank Churchill is amused). But he also loves Frankenstein, which goes through body parts.

Hoot

This book was a gift, and while it wasn’t popular with Porter, its one that Wyatt constantly pulls off the shelf. The eyes of the owl are little cut-outs that get smaller with each page. I’m not entirely sure what it is about this one that Wyatt likes so much, maybe its the counting, or that we hoot on every page. I’m not even sure who the author is, but Wyatt sure loves it.

Goodnight, I Love You by Caroline Jane Church

This was a favorite of Porter’s, but Wyatt hasn’t necessarily taken to it. This is a great bedtime story, because it shows the little boy and girl going through their bedtime routine and ends with them falling asleep. All Caroline Jane Church books have been a hit at our house; other favorites include I Love You Through and Through and Rain Rain Go Away.

The Belly Button Book and Your Personal Penguin by Sandra Boynton

Actually, I think I could make an argument in favor of any Boynton book, but these are the two that we love the most. I love to hear Wyatt say “be bo” just like the hippos do, and I’ve loved Your Personal Penguin since I discovered it while working at Chapters. Its such a sweet ode to friendship.

Mortimer by Robert Munsch

We found a pack of 3 shortened board book versions of Robert Munsch stories and gave them to Porter for his first Christmas, but Mortimer has been the favorite with both boys. It must be something about the silly way we sing as we read.

Peep Inside the Zoo by Samona Dimitri

Another Usborne series, the Peep Inside books are some of our favorite (they also do Peep Inside the Farm, Animal Homes, dinosaurs, Space and more). Although these aren’t exactly board books, they have thicker pages just like Goodnight, I Love You. All of these books are lift-the-flap, which are my favorite type of book to take on the go for Wyatt. We usually have this one, as well as some other lift-the-flaps in the car and diaper bag. These are fun and educational, and the illustrations are great.