Best "Off the Beaten Path" Baby Books

If you've ever been to, or had, a baby shower, you know there are some baby books that are classics--you know, the ones that people will get at least 2 copies of, and that every child has read. You know the ones...Goodnight Moon, Love You Forever, Guess How Much I Love You, Cat in the Hat, The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See. They're beautiful books. They're classics for a reason.

But, that doesn't mean you want to be the one to give the same baby book as everyone else.

In my twins' first year, I found that these books, while enjoyable, are not actually their favorites. Their favorites are ones that are not well known. These are the best "off the beaten path" baby books (not in any particular order)...take it from me. Give these as a gift and you'll be a hit! (If you click on any image or any title it will take you directly to where you can purchase the book online.)

1) Elmo's Mother Goose - Think your classic Mother Goose nursery rhymes with a Sesame Street twist.  The rhymes are catchy, interesting, fun, and addicting. This was an instant hit with my kids!

2) Baa Baa Black Sheep - This twist on the classic nursery rhyme is adorable. It includes sheep from every color of the rainbow and encourages kids to use their powers of imagination and silliness. My kids can't get enough of it!

3) That's Not My Monkey - When we recently went to a dear friend's house, my kids discovered this book. My son made me reread it to him no less than 10 times in a row and my daughter couldn't stop touching the fuzzy tongue. When we got home, I searched for it--I finally found it at Buy Buy Baby. It's still a tremendous hit with my kids! This book is part of a whole "That's Not My..." series, with items ranging from dinosaurs to planes to penguins and more. Each book is a sensory wonderland as every page has something for the children to feel.

4) Who's Hiding -This adorable lift-the-flap book from Skip Hop is a story of a mama owl trying to find her missing baby owl. My kids love lifting the very durable flaps and the story is a cute read. An instant hit in my house!

5) Peek a Who - This book is a fun take on peek a boo--one page says "peek a" and the opposite page has a small cut-out showing a snippet of what is hiding. It includes peek a moo (with a cow), peek a boo (with a ghost), peek a zoo (with a menagerie), peek a choo choo (with a train) and peek a you (with a mirror). My kids can't get enough of this book every time I bring it out--they just keep wanting to re-read it and re-read it and re-read it! (And, I just found out they are coming out with a companion called "Peek a Zoo" (involves guessing the animals) in March! Preordering it! My kids will be so excited.)

6) Dear Zoo - Another great lift-the-flap book! This one tells the story of a boy who wrote to the zoo asking for a pet, but every animal they sent just wasn't quite right. Kids enjoy lifting the flaps to see what animal is hiding, while at the same time, they love hearing the cute story.

7) Ten Wiggly Wriggly Caterpillars - My mom found this book on a clearance rack when my kids were just 3 months old. Well, she certainly made out like a bandit with this one. Now that they can pick what books they want to read, this one is always one of the first chosen. The caterpillars are raised, and my kids love to touch them. As you flip each page and go through the story, one disappears, until there is one lonely caterpillar left. But, don't worry, this story has a happy ending!

8) Fishy Tails or Farm Tails - These are our two favorites in a series of books by Jellycat. The books have animals with textured tails that kids can touch, pull or chew on (my kids' favorite activity). These two books are my favorite because they tell a story. The other ones are simply descriptive (like fluffy tail and curly tail in Kitten Tails), but all of the books are adorable. My kids love to play with the tails--not always to read the stories, but they always enjoy the books.

9) Do Cows Meow - This is another lift the flap book--with big flaps that open to reveal animals' mouths. It is a silly rhyming story that teaches animal sounds. My kids love, love, love this book. In fact, my son loves it so much that the cow's mouth has been ripped off and reattached from so much use. We also just purchased the second book in this series, Do Crocs Kiss.

10) Bubbles Bubbles - We received this book as a hand-me-down. It was an instant hit. The Sesame Street characters and fun rhyming story made this something that they could engage in from about 5 months on. I loved it so much that I tried repeatedly to find it for friends, but it wasn't available on any of the major book websites. We then got a second copy as a gift (which is awesome because now each kid can have his/her own), so I did some more research. Finally I found it...at the dollar store. What a steal! One dollar for a book that might, seriously, be my kids' favorite book on this list? Best. Bargain. Ever. You can't buy it individually online (but you can in the dollar store), but you can buy a case of 24 (which includes Bubbles Bubbles, At The Zoo, Eyes, Nose Fingers and Toes, and Nighty Night--all books my kids enjoy) for $24 online at Dollar Tree. I have seriously considered doing this so that I have a stash of awesome baby books to give away!

ADDENDUM!!!

11) LMNO Peas - We just got this book. The first time I read it to my kids, they were hooked. My son literally cried for me to give it to him so he could listen to me read it again. Both of my kids were busy doing other things and stopped when I started reading this book. They both kept handing it to me to read again. It is a super cute alphabet story about peas. Yup, peas. It's a fun read with bright illustrations. I can see this one being a favorite for years to come!





Now, here are some of my kids' other favorite books which are not quite classics, but not quite obscure either. You run the risk of giving a duplicate book if you give these, but it's unlikely as they aren't super popular. Plus, these are books that my kids absolutely love.

1) But Not the Hippopotamus - Sandra Boynton is well known for her colorful, silly, catchy children's books. We have several Sandra Boynton books, but this one is, by far, their favorite. It's a funny story of a left out hippopotamus, who, in the end, finds acceptance (spoiler alert!). It's a super cute rhyme that my kids just can't get enough of.

2) Little Blue Truck - This one is quickly becoming more and more popular. When I first discovered it it was an adorable and obscure little children's book. It tells the story of a friendly pick up truck, a conceited dump truck, and lots of little animals. It has animal sounds, great illustrations and keeps my kids' attention. What more could you want?

3) Thank You Bear - This sweet story of sharing is a beautiful read. My kids have enjoyed it from the first time I read it to them, and it continues to be one of their favorites.

4) I Love You Stinky Face - Another book that is quickly becoming extremely popular. (I did get two copies of this one at my baby shower!) It's a funny story of a little boy testing his mom's love. The illustrations are great and the cadence of the story keeps little ones entertained. My kids love this book!

5) Big Dog, Little Dog - This was my absolute favorite book as a child. So, of course, I had to buy it for my kids. It's a tale of opposites. With brightly colored illustrations, it's a fun story that kids of all ages can enjoy.

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