14 best board books for toddlers

Board books for toddlers often feature animals as a central theme. These books are designed to engage and educate young children about the animal world while fostering a love of reading. Here are some key aspects of board books for toddlers with an animal focus:

Animal Exploration: Board books for toddlers featuring animals typically introduce various animals from different habitats and environments. This allows young readers to explore the diversity of the animal kingdom.
Vivid Illustrations: These books are known for their vibrant and eye-catching illustrations. The images are often designed to be visually appealing and captivating for toddlers.
Simple Text: The text in board books for toddlers is usually straightforward and easy to understand. It may consist of short sentences or phrases that are suitable for early readers or for parents to read aloud to their children.
Animal Sounds: Some animal-themed board books include representations of the sounds that animals make. This can be a fun and interactive way for toddlers to learn about the vocalizations of different creatures.
Touch-and-Feel: Many animal board books incorporate tactile elements such as textured patches that allow toddlers to touch and feel various animal features, like a furry bear or a bumpy frog.
Interactive Features: To engage toddlers, these books often include interactive elements such as lift-the-flap pages or tabs that can be pulled or pushed to reveal surprises related to the animals.
Learning Opportunities: Animal board books provide excellent learning opportunities.They can teach toddlers about animal names, colors, sizes, and basic facts about each animal, such as what they eat or where they live.
Thematic Variations: While animals are a popular theme, board books for toddlers may also focus on specific animal groups, such as farm animals, jungle animals, pets, or sea creatures. This allows parents and caregivers to choose books that align with their child's interests.
Early Vocabulary Development: Reading animal-themed board books helps toddlers expand their vocabulary by introducing new words related to animals and their characteristics.
Bedtime and Playtime: Animal board books can be suitable for various occasions, whether it's part of a bedtime routine or a playful learning activity during the day.
Emotional Connection: Many children develop an emotional connection to animal characters in books, which can lead to a greater interest in animals and nature as they grow.

In conclusion, board books for toddlers with an animal focus offer an engaging and educational experience for young children. They encourage exploration, interaction, and early literacy development while introducing toddlers to the fascinating world of animals.

Below you can find our editor's choice of the best board books for toddlers on the market

Night Night Farm

Based on 3 reviews Check latest price

Grumpy Monkey

Random House Books for Young Readers

Based on 10 reviews Check latest price

If Animals Kissed Good Night

Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)

Based on 37 reviews Check latest price

Product features

The perfect bedtime story for your little one!

Your little one will discover a number of animals, animal baby names, animal body parts, and animal sounds. With charming illustrations to match children are able to visualize how animals would kiss their loved ones good night. They might even notice the similarities between animals and humans.

Where's Spot?

Warne

Based on 17 reviews Check latest price

Good Night, Little Blue Truck

HMH Books for Young Readers

Based on 9 reviews Check latest price

Hello, World! Ocean Life

Doubleday Books for Young Readers

Based on 2 reviews Check latest price

World of Eric Carle, Hear Bear Roar 30 Animal Sound Book - PI Kids (Play-A-Sound)

P I Kids

Based on 6 reviews Check latest price

Product features

30 Play-a-Sound Buttons!

With 30 buttons comes 30 great illustrations and 30 different sounds, creating an amazing interactive multi-sensory experience.

Amazing Amount of Animals

Your little one will love learning about animals while building their language and reading skills with short words and simple sentences.

Eric Carle Illustrations Come to Life

The incredible illustrations of Eric Carle including his Very Hungry Caterpillar are full of color and come alive with the help of the Play-a-Sound module.

Me Readers and First Smart Pads with 8-Book Library

With the Me Reader your little one can select which of their 8 included books they want to read, and press the color and shape coded buttons to hear it read out loud.

The My First Smart pad is a double sided tablet that allows your little one to go through their included 8-book set and complete over 100 interactive activities.

Sound and Song Books

Sound and song books offer a hands on interactive experience for young readers. The multi sensory reading adventure stimulates their imagination, while pressing the sound buttons helps with their matching, comparing, and motor skills.

My First Library Book Blocks

Twelve Just-My-Size tiny board books come packaged in a fantastic case! Your little one will love carrying the case and taking out/putting back their books while developing a love for reading and early motor skills.

Look and Find Activity Books

Search for hidden objects in wonderfully illustrated scenes! Whether your little one is a Disney Princess or a PAW Patrol pup, PI Kids has the perfect Look and Find for you!

Look and Find are available as hardcover books and My First Look and Find are available as board books.

Phoenix International Publications, Inc

At Phoenix International Publications, Inc., we are committed to crafting engaging, educational, and entertaining books for young readers to encourage a lifelong love of story time.

Together with licensing partners Disney, Nickelodeon, Sesame Workshop, Eric Carle, among others, and our own collection of family favorite original authors and illustrators, we’ve worked to interlace beloved characters with charming illustrations, activities, sounds, and songs for over three decades. Our stories, and eye for digital advancement, provide a unique interactive reading experience that will delight any child and inspire a lifelong love of reading for the whole family.

Our sound books, picture books, board books, apps, and activity and song books are available at all booksellers and online retailers. Our PI Kids brand is recognized worldwide and our books have been translated into more than 35 languages.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

World of Eric Carle

Based on 35 reviews Check latest price

First 100 Board Book Box Set (3 books)

Priddy Books US

Based on 9 reviews Check latest price

Friends at the Firehouse: Double Booked: 35 lift-the-flaps inside! (Firefighter Board Books; Firetruck Books for Toddlers)

Chronicle Books

Based on 100 reviews Check latest price

There's a Bear on My Chair

Nosy Crow

Based on 3 reviews Check latest price

I Love You to the Moon and Back

Tiger Tales

Based on 23 reviews Check latest price

Sheep in a Jeep (board book)

HMH Books for Young Readers

Based on 3 reviews Check latest price

Wild Animals: A Touch and Feel Book - Children's Board Book - Educational

Based on 765 reviews Check latest price

Product features

Little Hippo Books Touch and Feel: Adorable Pets

From a rabbit's fluffy fur to a goldfish's shiny scales, there are five fun textures to explore in this book that you read and touch! Includes fun, rhyming text about each animal and touch and feel material on every spread. There are a total of five touch and feel elements that will make children want to come back to read this fun book over and over. Enjoy reading time where a child can explore favorite adorable pets:

Pat the puppy’s smooth ear
Feel the shiny scales of a goldfish
Tickle the rabbit’s furry belly
Touch the cat’s pink tongue
Pet the canary’s pretty yellow feathers

Little Hippo Books Touch and Feel: Farm Animals

From a sheep's fluffy fleece to a horse's velvety mane, there are five fun textures to explore in this book that you read and touch! Includes fun, rhyming text about each animal and touch and feel material on every spread. There are a total of five touch and feel elements that will make children want to come back to read this fun book over and over. Enjoy reading time where a child can explore cute farm animals:

Touch the white fleece of a sheep
Feel the fuzzy yellow duckling
Pat the cow’s smooth nose
Tickle the pink pig’s ear
Pet the horse’s soft mane

Little Hippo Books Touch and Feel: Wild Animals

From a koala's woolly fur to an elephant's leathery ear, there are five fun textures to explore in this book that you read and touch! Includes fun, rhyming text about each animal and touch and feel material on every spread. There are a total of five touch and feel elements that will make children want to come back to read this fun book over and over. Enjoy reading time where a child can explore these fun wild animals:

Tickle the cuddly koala’s ear
Feel the scaly skin of a lizard
Pat the friendly lion
Touch the smooth dolphin
Pet the elephant’s leathery ear

Little Hippo Books Touch and Feel: Baby Animals

From a kitten's soft, soft fur to a baby alligator's scaly skin, there are five fun textures to explore in this book that you read and touch! Includes fun, rhyming text about each animal and touch and feel material on every spread. There are a total of five touch and feel elements that will make children want to come back to read this fun book over and over. Enjoy reading time where a child can explore cute baby animals: