One of the goals of creating our annual Best Books for Babies list is to encourage authors, illustrators, and publishers to produce quality materials for babies ages birth to 18 months. This year we found plenty of possibilities to consider and wound up including 16 titles on our list of the ten Best Books for Babies. (We do know how to do math—we just found several sets of books that met our criteria.)

We’re pleased to note that this year there are titles from four publishers that have not previously appeared on a Best Books for Babies list. Tyndale Kids and Sourcebooks each have one book on this year’s list. Flowerpot Press has and two titles and Pajama Press has three.

Other titles on the list are from publishers who have been well represented over the years. Child’s Play Books selected in the past include a variety of illustrated rhymes and songs. This year’s entries celebrate the natural world and encourage the youngest listeners to look at vivid patterns and intriguing cut-out shapes.

A title from Cartwheel Books, an imprint of Scholastic, appeared on the very first Best Books for Babies list back in 2000. The Cartwheel title featured this year is You Are Getting Sleepy by Lori Alexander. Clarion Books, a division of HarperCollins, rounds out this year’s list with a pair of entertaining board books, I’m Up! and I’m Still Up! by Antoinette Portis.

 

Check out the complete list of this year’s Best Books for Babies or browse previous lists here.