It’s never too early to start reading with your child. They may not grasp the finer nuances of Crime and Punishment at six months, but that’s no reason not to introduce them to the world of books. To that end, we’ve compiled two lists of books, to read to, and with, your baby. They’re not exhaustive lists, by any means, but every book here is tried and tested, and much-loved. Pull up a softly lit reading chair, and dig in.

Reading with Your Baby

Reading is one of life’s great pleasures, so why wouldn’t you want to pass it down to your children? Books are tactile things, and the sooner you can get your baby used to what they look like, and smell like, the better. A word to the wise, though: once your baby gets to four or five months, they’ll want to get involved with turning the pages / putting the entire book in their mouth. Board books are a great way to read with your child without their ripping out a page of your much-treasured Each Peach Pear Plum.

 

Mog, and The Tiger Who Came to Tea

Judith Kerr, who died earlier this year, was a prolific children’s author. When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit is a great choice for older readers, but our favourites for reading with babies and young children are The Tiger Who Came to Tea, and the Mog series. Gentle and funny, with lovely pictures, they’re classics for a reason.

 

Giraffes Can’t Dance

By Giles Andreae and Guy Parker-Rees, Giraffes Can’t Dance tells the story of Gerald the giraffe, who can’t dance… Or can he? Absolutely charming, all in rhyme, and with delightful pictures on every page, this is a must-read.

 

What the Ladybird Heard

Julia Donaldson is another hugely prolific writer, and is a former children’s laureate. There are lots of books to choose from, but What the Ladybird Heard is our pick for this list. More great pictures, and an exciting and funny story. The lesson will go over babies’ heads, of course, but it’s perfect comfort food for adults too.

 

The Worm and the Bird

A bit of a curveball here. Coralie Bickford-Smith’s The Worm and the Bird is what the internet would describe as a big mood. Beautiful, engrossing pictures throughout, and fairly light on text. It’s not the cheeriest read, and some parents will want to avoid, but it has a poetic simplicity that we love, and children can get lost in the pictures.

 

Baby Orca

A proper “baby book” to finish off this first list. Baby Orca, illustrated by Yu-hsuan Huang, is simple and fun, a finger puppet book which describes the life of a little orca. Visually stimulating and engaging, babies love it. Also check out other puppet books in the series.

 

Reading to Your Baby

What’s the point of reading books my baby won’t even understand? Well, your baby likes your voice, and it’s never a bad time to get them used to how a story sounds – its rhythms and patterns. It’s great for their development, and it’s a wonderful bonding experience. If you have the voice and the intonation for it, you could read absolutely anything – the dictionary and the phone book come to mind – but why not read something you’ll enjoy too?

 

Winnie-the-Pooh

A. A. Milne was well-known in his own lifetime as a “serious” novelist and playwright. What has survived and flourished in the decades since his death, though, is Winnie-the-Pooh. And for good reason. It’s impossible to top the Pooh books and poems for sheer inventiveness, wit, and charm.

 

The Wind in the Willows

Kenneth Grahame’s The Wind in the Willows was a big influence on Milne’s writing in Pooh, and there are some similarities in the characters, but nothing can match the poetry of The Wind in the Willows. The language ebbs and flows, taking us through all four seasons, down by the riverbank and beyond. As with the Pooh books, the best illustrations are by E. H. Shepard.

 

The BFG

There are, of course, lots of Roald Dahl books we could have picked, but The BFG might have the best words. Delumptious, gruncious, squibbling and rotsome. Gobblefunk, whizzpopping, schnozzles and snozzcumbers. It’s a delight.

 

Harry Potter

We couldn’t not mention this, could we? It’s great to read, though. You can do the voices and everything. It’s impossible to unpick, but somewhere there’s a formula in here for the most addictive book series there is. I’ll say it – J. K. Rowling is a genius. One word of warning: as they go on, they get longer and longer, and creepier and creepier. You might want to stop before you get to the end (if you can tear yourself away), or you’ll risk not finishing until your child is thirty-five.

 

Alice in Wonderland

Another classic to round off. Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass are perfect, weird, mad stories. More great words, more great flowing passages, more great characters, and plenty more opportunities for silly voices. They’ve got it all in spades.