I’ve got such a cute collection of baby and toddler books, most tested with my storytime kids and/or my little grandgirl. The grand is only a couple of months old, so the best reaction is the big eyes and kickie feet, but that means the world to me. Without further ado, here we are, new books for lapsits.
Animals Everywhere: A Lift, Look, and Find Book, by Stéphanie Babin/Illustrated by Robert Barborini, Marie Caudry, Jessica Das, & Marie Kyprianou, (Aug 2025, Twirl Books), $16.99, ISBN: 9791036381454
Ages 3mos-5
Twirl is on my short-list of go-to baby and toddler reads. They put out such fun and interactive stories, and they’re nice and durable, standing up to multiple reads. Animals Everywhere is so much fun, because it’s got lift the flips AND gatefold pages, really laying out a fun experience for emerging readers and lapsitters. The book takes readers to six areas where animals abound: In the Country, On the Ice, In the Forest, On the Farm, In the Rainforest, and In the Backyard. There are seek and find challenges on each spread, inviting readers to look for different animals. There are lift the flaps that give readers a peek at who’s sleeping or playing in each area, and gatefold spreads open, showing readers the full area where people and animals interact together. Brief text provides a little bit of information on each area the animal inhabitants. Pages are sturdy, but if you’re putting this into circulation, buy two; the gatefolds are going to take some abuse. Absolutely adorable for board book collections!
Want to print some seek and find coloring pages for post-storytime activities? You can’t go wrong by visiting Highlights, the grandma/grandpa of seek and find!
The Greatest Gift by Emma Dodd, (May 2025, Candlewick Press, $17.99, ISBN: 9781536241174
Ages 2-6
Emma Dodd’s parent-and-child/caregiver-and-child books are just beautiful. Her verse is heartfelt, the interaction between adult and child animals is so gentle and loving, and the foil-accented pages bring a touch of magic to every read. Here, an adult zebra frolics with their child and speaks about all that they wish they could give: “I would give the world to you, / if I only could. / I’d give you the sun, the moon, / and everything that’s good”; “I’d give you the mountains / and the glittering stars up high / shining far above us / in the dark night sky”. The savanna stretches out before them as they cross streams, run through fields, and snuggle together. The adult concludes their verse by stating that the greatest gift they can give the gift of love. It’s a comforting sentiment and statement about love and the desire to give our kids everything, but the knowledge that we will always give them love. I always recommend Emma Dodd’s books because she always manages to figure out a new way to tell children what’s in their parents’ and caregivers’ hearts.
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r Gorgeous Baby, by Smriti Prasadam-Halls/Illustrated by Eve Coy, (March 2025, Candlewick Press), $8.99, ISBN: 9781536239324
Ages Birth-3 years
Narrated by an elder sister, Our Gorgeous Baby is a sweetly amusing celebration of a new baby: “Our baby’s eyes are not brighter than the sun. / And no, she’s not as light as a feather. She weighs a ton!” Sister is always with her baby sister as she makes messes, acts silly, wakes everyone up at night, and has the stinkiest diapers! Our Gorgeous Baby is a humorous warts-and-all look at the truths of having a new baby in the house: and how we adore every second of them. The rhyming verse makes for an easy readaloud and the mixed media illustrations are warm. A good addition to board book and new baby collections.
Maisy Big, Maisy Small: A Book of Rhyming Opposites, by Lucy Cousins, (Jan. 2025, Candlewick Press), $15.99, ISBN: 9781536236293
Ages 2-5
I love a good concept book, and who doesn’t love Maisy? Maisy Big, Maisy Small is a rhyming book of opposites that will be a winner on shelves. The bright colors and bold outlines are a beacon to young readers, and the big, bold black lettering is so easy to read. There are tons of sight words in this book that will add to readers’ burgeoning vocabularies. Cousins gets joyfully creative with her interpretations: “Maisy Stripes” and “Maisy Spots” show Maisy covered in stripes and spots; “Maisy One” shows a singular Maisy on the page against a bright yellow background; “Maisy Lots” show a cheerful plethora of Maisies across a bright blue background; “Maisy Round” features Maisy with a round belly and legs, “Maisy Square” shows Maisy as she may look on a Minecraft screen. The book is just fun, and that’s the point of learning. An excellent choice for concept collections.
Need more Maisy? Visit Maisy’s Fun Club for coloring sheets and activities.
Mom Read It 