We're a big 'book' family. We have books that are half chewed, duct-taped, pop-up books that are missing the entire pop-up areas, short books, long books, giggle books, we love them all.  You can never have enough books. All prices, all types are welcome here. 

If you've got an infant at home, we thought we would compile a list of our favorites books that we come back to each day and year. These are great ideas that you could gift a mom or dad you know for an upcoming birthday or special occasion. 

Off the Beaten Path

We all know the classic favorites like The Hungry Caterpiller by Eric Carle and the Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle get a lot of attention, so we thought we'd focus on a few of our favorites that may be off the beaten path to help mix up your collection. 

All are $5 or under

And as always to help build an affordable library, you can find a lot of these used on Amazon, free at your local library, or use on Craigslist, Ebay or Facebook Marketplace. 

We hope this list helps give you some new ideas of where to start. 

• This book has been a favorite of both of my children. It incorporates a sensory element on each page, is a super large format and also has some 'silly eyes' that engage with you on each page.

• This is a really fun book to read as your baby gets older (10-12 month range) and even beyond into toddlerhood. A perfect choice for those little ones that love to 'push buttons' (aka all babies and toddlers!). 
• It's a fun interactive book to make your baby feel like she is causing the dots in the book on her own. 
• They also have a board game that goes along with it for older kids

• Baby's love looking at baby faces. It's been shown that infants process faces long before they recognize any other objects, so it's a great and simple book to engage in the first few months of life.
• We still read this one with our 2.5 year old and talk through "emotions" with her based on the faces, so there's room to grow with this book. 

• This is a wonderful story of a love where a little boy hugs everyone including large whales and his baby sibling. He's fueled by pizza and it's a charming classic.
• This is one of those books that's fraying at the edges for us and has a lot of chew marks everywhere. 

• A classic touch & feel book that helps build vocabulary of baby animals. Touching the rabbit's velvet fur, etc. It's a fun one and a super small size which makes for easy packing and travel to the park, Grandma's house, etc. 

Why Reading Matters

Reading is one of the best things you can do with your little one. It helps develop baby's cognitive skills as well as offering a great way to build connections and memories together. It can also enhance language skills and encourage vocalization. 

Try and read to your little one every day or every night. Long before they can talk and pay attention, they will be soaking up the great benefits of vocabulary and your engagement as you bond together. 

Share on!

We hope this helps you have a list of some great reads to start from. If your parents or friends are looking for budget-friendly ideas for gifts, consider sending them this list. 

Have you got a favorite book that's under $5 to add to our list? Share it with us in the comments below!

Please note: Items above may contain Amazon affiliate links. Purchasing directly from these referral links helps support the Curious Baby Blog and costs nothing to you!