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.

Imaginative and creative children love this simple yet profound story about a rambunctious child, his vivid imagination and the wild adventure it takes him on.

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.

This charming story is also a relatable parable about how incredibly quickly things can get out of control when one thing leads to another.

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.

With deadpan, wry humor that appeals to all ages, this book about a bear looking for his hat has a surprising twist ending (not that we would give any spoilers).

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.

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.

From the prolific and famous children’s author Jane Yolen, this is the story of a young girl’s magical search for the Great Horned Owl with her father. 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.”