Storytime With Grandma & Grandpa: Best Baby Books
There is simply nothing better than the weight of a sleeping grandbaby in your arms, especially after they’ve fallen asleep to the sound of your loving voice reading a book. Storytime helps you bond with your grandchild, gives them security, develops their vocabulary, and more. Though any book will do the trick, some titles are so sweet and special that they deserve a spot in your grandbaby’s library.
If you want to take storytime with grandma and grandpa to the next level, then here are the best baby books to make that happen. These picks are classics, crowd-pleasers, and perfect for creating those golden childhood memories.
Goodnight Moon
Generations of children have drifted off to sleep to the rhythmic words of Margaret Wise Brown. Goodnight Moon is an all-time classic and the gold standard of bedtime stories.
The plot is simple: a little bunny saying goodnight to everything in their room. You read in a hushed, calm tone and point out the tiny mouse illustrated discreetly on each page. The art is also uniquely charming, featuring high-contrast colors and cute designs that both you and Baby will love. This book is a must-have for those sleepovers when Mom and Dad finally get a night out.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Eric Carle created The Very Hungry Caterpillar, a visual feast that has captivated tots for decades. The story follows a caterpillar as he eats his way through apples, pears, plums, strawberries, and eventually a massive feast of human food. The best part is that many of the pages feature actual holes that your grandkid can stick their little fingers through to explore. Additionally, the book creates a wonderful opportunity to teach counting, days of the week, names of fruits, and the life cycle of a butterfly. It is colorful, durable, and completely timeless.
Guess How Much I Love You
In Guess How Much I Love You, Little Nutbrown Hare and Big Nutbrown Hare try to surpass each other in expressing their affection. It captures that overwhelming feeling of love we have for our grandbabies perfectly. Furthermore, the watercolor illustrations are soft and gentle, matching the tender tone of the text. It always ends with a hug, which is exactly how every storytime with the grandparents should end anyway.
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?
Rhythm and repetition are favorites of babies everywhere, and Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? has these qualities in spades. Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle teamed up to create this rhythmic chant that children memorize almost instantly. The bold, flat collages of a blue horse, a purple cat, and a green frog are unforgettable, and this book helps toddlers learn their colors and animal names without even realizing they are learning.
Pat the Bunny
Babies explore the world through touch, and this classic by Dorothy Kunhardt lets them do just that. Pat the Bunny was one of the first interactive children’s books. In invites little ones to peek in a mirror, feel Daddy’s scratchy beard, put a finger through a ring, and—of course—pat the soft bunny. It engages the senses, keeps wiggly babies interested, and encourages motor skills.
Dear Zoo
Rod Campbell’s lift-the-flap classic is a guaranteed hit for curious minds. In Dear Zoo, a child writes to the zoo asking for a pet, but the zoo sends a series of unsuitable animals in crates and baskets. Babies can then lift the flaps on the pages to see the lion, the snake, the monkey, the frog, and the other funny creatures.
The Snowy Day
Ezra Jack Keats captures the pure, silent wonder of a first snowfall like no one else in The Snowy Day. The story follows Peter as he puts on his snowsuit and explores his neighborhood. The artwork is stunning, using cut-paper collage to create a snowy landscape that feels cold and cozy at the same time. It is a calm, beautiful story that respects the intelligence and deep feelings of small children.
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
Sometimes you just need a party in a book, and that’s Chicka Chicka Boom Boom to a tee. This alphabet rhyme is full of energy, beat, and bright colors. All the letters of the alphabet race each other up the coconut tree, but the tree gets too heavy and—boom boom!—they all fall down. It makes learning the ABCs feel like a dance party. It is fun, loud, and impossible to read sitting still.
Corduroy
Don Freeman’s story of a teddy bear wandering a department store at night to find his missing button is heartbreakingly sweet. Corduroy is a bear who just wants a home. This book touches on themes of friendship, acceptance, and being loved exactly as you are. It creates a warm, fuzzy feeling that makes it the perfect note to end a day on.
Claris the Mouse
If you have a grandchild with a flair for the dramatic and a love for fashion, Claris is your girl. Created by Megan Hess, the Claris the Mouse series follows the adventures of the chicest mouse in Paris. The illustrations are high-fashion, the rhymes are clever, and the stories are full of heart and courage.
Start Building Your Library
Being a grandparent is the best gig in the world, and storytime with grandma and grandpa is one of the greatest experiences for little tots. By forming a library of the best baby books, you can help your house be a place of magic and imagination.
To start your collection, shop the baby books from Bunnies by the Bay. Our titles include many Claris the Mouse stories, but our literary treasures go far beyond just Claris. Our collection is curated to include stories that match our adorable plush toys. Find the Little Star Board Book for bedtime, the Camp Cricket Book for outdoor adventurers, the Who Says Peep Peep book for animal lovers, the Avery Aviator Learns to Soar storybook for dreamers, and more. These titles are designed to be paired with a matching stuffed animal, creating a complete gift that brings the story to life in your grandchild’s arms.