Our Favorite Award-Winning Books for Babies and Toddlers

This classic has filled countless hearts with warmth and countless eyes with tears. A stuffed bunny that wants to become a real bunny, but how do toys become truly real? Through the love of a child.

No matter what season it is where you live (and even if you don’t get any snow in winter), this book will transport you and baby to a snowy wonderland. Follow the story’s small child through the hushed city as they experience their very first snow day.

All of the crayons are exhausted with their jobs, so they leave letters of resignation for their owner. This hilarious book helps teach young readers about conflict resolution and that sometimes it’s good to change things up a bit.

When Farmer Brown starts getting typewritten notes from his farm animals, what’s he to do? This hilarious story is a fun opportunity to teach little ones about communication and conflict resolution.

One brave little girl’s trip to the hospital has become a well-loved story for over 80 years, inspiring a whole series of books and cartoons. This simple, cheerful tale and its spunky heroine are sure to delight readers of all ages.

Native tribes across North America have long been dedicated protectors of the natural land, so when the water—the sacred source of life—is threatened, they’ll do whatever they can to keep it clean and uncorrupted.

In a surprising role reversal, it’s kids who are left in charge of this story. When a bus driver leaves his bus in the hands of young readers, it’s up to them to make sure the pigeon doesn’t drive the bus. Will your little one follow the rules, or will they let the pigeon have his way?

When the zookeeper takes a sick day, the animals he’s conscientiously cared for all this time decide it’s their turn to care for him. Aww.

The river didn’t know it was a river…until bear came along! This lively story about forest animals on an adventure down a river shows that everything is better with friends. At the center of the silliness are the concepts of building community and how interacting with others can show us new things about the world (and about ourselves!).

This is the story of a young girl’s magical search with her father for the Great Horned Owl. The words of the story are gently poetic, making this a perfectly soothing bedtime read.

From the biggest things to the smallest, all the world is the same. This sweet, poetic book takes a moment to appreciate all the little things in life and how they relate to a larger world and community, ending with a beautiful message: “Hope and peace and love and trust. All the world is all of us.”