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There are many reasons why you could be looking for the best new baby books in 2021. Maybe your family is growing soon, or you are going to the baby shower and want to find the perfect new book. Extra points when preparing for a book shower! Or maybe you are on a budget and need to find good titles to collect. Whatever the reason, this list of new baby books for 2021 is for you.
Count to Love by Andrea Davis Pinkney and Brian Pinkney
This little counting book is adorable. It’s from Andrea Davis Pinkney and Brian Pinkney, both excellent artists in their own right. If you like this, you might be interested in Bright Brown Baby or Andrea Davis Pinkney’s A Poem for Peter: The Story of Ezra Jack Keats, illustrated by Lou Fancher and Steve Johnson.
My heart beats from Rina Singh
Different languages have different ways of expressing the sound of the heart. This book uses the sounds of multiple languages including Korean, Urdu, and French (in addition to English) to highlight that we all have different ways of naming the same thing – a heartbeat of love.
The Night is Deep and Wide by Gillian Sze and Sue Todd
The illustrations in this book really made me stop. They look like woodcut prints and have a style all their own compared to other baby board books. The text is also a comforting bedtime reading. If you like the cover, you should read this book.
Love in the Wild by Katy Tanis
Tanis spent time researching love among wild animals, and this book is the product of that research. She originally painted the picture on the cover for a trans family member and then decided to share it as part of this book. If you’re looking for a colorful and inclusive title this might be a good choice.
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Baby young, gifted and black: with a mirror! by Jamia Wilson and Andrea Pippins
This is a collection of affirmations inspired by black excellence for black and brown babies to see themselves reading, with beautiful illustrations and a mirror at the end. It includes statements like “I am a leader like the Obamas”, “I love moving my body like Misty Copeland” and “I use my imagination like Zadie Smith”. That being said, if you are new to Zadie Smith’s writing, we have a reading path to help you with this.
How are you? by Mudpuppy and Erin Jang
This is a great way to expose babies to the range of emotions people experience, with strong and vibrant graphics that will suit everyone. This is also a lift-up book that lets the little ones immerse themselves in the excitement of reading with you.
Forest dance by Sandra Boynton
Sandra Boynton has written many popular children’s titles like Hippos Go Beserk and The Going to Bed Book, so this is likely a good book for many families. I know people with grown children who still remember their child’s favorite Boynton book to this day, so if you like their style you should probably get at least one of their books, if not more.
B stands for baby by Atinuke and Angela Brooksbank
This book is one of the best new baby books of 2021. It has beautiful illustrations and lots of words that start with b, including bougainvillea and bungalow (along with the ones you might expect more like Banana and Brother). It has a village feel and repeats all of the words towards the end of the book so this is good for reinforcement too. If this is your thing, then you should check out other books by Atinuke like Anna Hibiscus.
My Magical Forest by Campbell Books and Yujin Shin
This is a book with little flaps and things for the little ones to play with. It has cute illustrations and, as you would expect in a magical forest, lots of creatures, including of course a unicorn and fairies. If this is your thing, then you should check out Yujin Shin’s other books, My Magical Mermaid and My Magical Unicorn.
Discover the natural world on the riverside by Petra Bartíková and Marcel Králik
This book is intended to educate the little ones about all the animals and other life on, along, or under the water in a river. It has detailed illustrations, little facts for little readers to enjoy, and little flaps to move around. Perfect for readers who want a bit more information from their board books and have the potential to grow with small readers as they get bigger.
Follow your dreams, little one from Vashti Harrison
This one was technically released in late 2020, but I’m adding it in case you missed it. Given the nature of the year, this title may not have received the attention it deserves, so I’m adding it here to your consideration. This one also features famous black role models to inspire kids of all backgrounds. If you like that, be sure to check out more of Harrison’s work, which you might recognize from her other books like Little Dreamers: Visionary Women Around the World or from her illustrations for Lupita Nyong’os Sulwe.
Bubbles by Ben Clanton
If you’re looking for a best baby book of 2021 with a narwhal (and who isn’t) then this title is for you. It’s the adorable creation by Ben Clanton and features both a narwhal and a jellyfish. He also has another title on this series, Blankie, if you like this one.
Curls from Ruth Forman and Geneva Bowers
This book is designed to celebrate black girls and curly hair. The author wrote this after finding that her daughter had negative views about her hair and appearance at the tender age of 3 or 4. After looking through children’s literature for some books to show her daughter, she found that there was still a severe shortage of various titles. So she made one. In addition to this book, be sure to check out Glow, also written by Ruth Forman and illustrated by Geneva Bowers, to celebrate the black boys.
Paper Peek: Alphabet by Chihiro Takeuchi
This is a beautiful book to help little ones learn their first letters. Each picture has a cut out shape. Then you or the little ones can find other animals or objects that will become clear after turning the cut page. If you like this style, be sure to check out her other books in the same series, Paper Peek Colors and Paper Peek Animals.
A busy year for Leo Lionni
This book was originally published a few years ago and will be reprinted as a blackboard book in 2021. While the original story isn’t new, it’s good to have it in a more stable format, so I’ll add it here for your consideration. I love Leo Lionni’s other titles, not only for their unusual stories, but also for their impressive collage illustrations. If this is your thing, you should check out some of his other titles like Swimmy or Matthew’s Dream.
Festival of Colors by Surishtha Sehgal, Kabir Sehgal and Vashti Harrison
This book, one of the best new baby books of 2021, tells little readers about Holi and, as expected, contains many different bright colors. It is both helpful for learning about the festival and helpful for learning some colors as they are highlighted in some texts. If you like this title then you should check out Sehgal’s A Bucket of Blessings.
Who Was Celia Cruz? by Lisbeth Kaiser and Stanley Chow
Animals from Motomitsu Maehara
This is a multilingual blackboard book that could appeal to anyone using these six languages at home or wanting to introduce them to their little ones. The collage illustrations make the visuals equally memorable and appealing for children and adults. If you like that, Maehara has two more books in the same series called Plants and Ocean Animals.
And this is my list for the best new baby books of 2021. If you’re looking for even more, check out this list of 50 must-have board books. And if you need inspiration on what to write in a baby shower book, this post can help.
