Best Baby Books to Promote Intellectual Growth in the UK

Kids are more eager to learn via play, that’s a common truth that stands behind many educational books for the smallest. Yet, not all of them are as captivating and engrossing as books from My First Gruffalo Library.

This book bundle was created by Julia Donaldson, the author of globally popular prize-winning books The Gruffalo and The Gruffalo’s Child that were sold in more than 17 million samples and translated into 75 languages. A fabulous scary creature is adored by millions of children worldwide, so, no wonder the author has picked him to be the kids’ guide to learning basics since it’s always more interesting to explore something new with somebody you already know.

Coming down to the books themselves, the set consists of four books all linked by the fancy character of Gruffalo and focused on Colours, Animal actions, Opposites, and Numbers. Each book has six double pages featuring bright eye-popping cartoon illustrations on a colourful background. In general, the first five pages describe the main subject via clear pictures, be it numbers, common animals, basic colours, and opposite notions like big and small, and the last page is, so to say, a recap to let little once repeat and remember what they’ve learned.

The books are available both in board and paperback versions for your choice. However, board books will definitely serve you for longer, especially if you buy the set for 1-year infants who tend to tear and chew book pages.

Paddington Bear is a staple character of stories for children who has been much loved and appreciated by several generations of kids for now and is still widely popular among toddlers and their parents. A funny and adorable bear in a red hat and blue coat first appeared in 1958 and used to have a natural capacity of getting into trouble, yet, he always tried to get things right. Created by Michael Bond over 60 years ago, this character is the embodiment of kindheartedness, politeness, friendliness, and openness. As such, he still holds to this image today and evokes only positive emotions. Paddington bear stories are already a piece of classics that bring back childhood memories for many parents today and are still loved by smaller kids. Now, Paddington is also a movie star and if your kid watched the Paddington Bear movie or has a Paddington Bear soft toy, he or she would love to meet a familiar face on the book pages indeed.

The Paddington Library is a compilation of four small board books bundled together and narrating the stories about Paddington bear. Packed into a cute slipcase, these books are just great to take out wherever you go with your little one and also make a nice gift idea for toddlers or expecting moms who have already started building the first library for their babies.

The four books are Paddington: the Arrival, Paddington at the Seaside, Paddington at Home, and Paddington Goes Shopping. They will help your kid find out how Paddington bear made his way from Peru to London and got into a loving family as well as tap into some of his simple yet hilarious everyday adventures. Even if your child has never come across Paddington, be sure, the kiddo will like this character from the very first lines.

Toddlers are naturally curious as well as they are naturally fidgety. In the age from 12 to 36 months, kiddies actively explore the environment and start acquiring some basic knowledge. Yet, they have sort of itty-bitty attention span and making them sit still to learn is a kind of challenge. However, addicted to everything bright, they won’t let a good book with eye-popping pictures like the Let’s Go Talk book go amiss.

Speech is developed via talking and vocabulary is built via reading and learning. With that in mind, this book is stuffed with bunches of most common words a child should know, all accompanied and maintained by bright illustrations. By visualising each word with a picture, it’s easier for little minds to build meaning-to-notion connections and remember new words. It’s notable that pictures are not imaginary drawings but real-life photos that will help children easily recognize the objects in the real world. Apart from colourful images with names, the book also contains a host of questions a parent can use to share and enjoy the learning process with a kid as well as check the kiddo’s knowledge and progress.

To continue, the quality book content comes packed into a quality design. You’ll get a board book made of rather thick yet lightweight cardboard to endure active daily use and smaller kids’ impact. As such, it is resistant to wear and tear and is not that easy to damage somehow. Though not too small, the book is still conveniently sized for toddlers to handle it on their own without a hassle.

Beatrix Potter is yet another famous name in children’s literature. Her first book The Tale of Peter Rabbit saw the world in 1902 and has become a one-time love for several generations of kids since then. It’s a kind of lovely animal-inspired story that grandmas used to tell to their grandchildren and those will then tell it to their own kids. Beside this one, she also created a whole series of stories built around animal characters, yet, Peter Rabbit still takes the lead. So, if you want to introduce this classic character to your child while inducing a kid to learn some basic concepts, this book set will get you covered.

Created with infant and toddler developmental needs in mind, it’s a great bundle of first books, all inspired by legendary Peter Rabbit. That said, apart from well-known tale characters a kid will meet on the book pages, all books are designed in a uniform style, which is considered to be the branded Potter style. It stands out for a bit old-fashioned drawings that have some sort of retro vibe to them and still look very nice and cute. The colour pallet is very soft and mild, with blue tones prevailing in backgrounds and covers. It’s notable that this type of colours is the best option for smaller kids since neutral colours are considered more favourable for babies while contrasting colour combinations will still attract your little one’s attention.

Each book consists of 12 pages and is built around common early concepts all kiddies start learning first. These are numbers, shapes, colours, and some simple words. To hold the child’s attention span and get them interested, the pages are not overloaded with spotty illustrations and text. In fact, each page contains a single picture or only one simple word, which makes it easier for an infant to remember words and relate them to objects and concepts. At the same time, featuring words printed in clear mid-sized fonts, thee books are also helpful for elder toddlers who already learn to read.

Nothing is as great as classics and the same is true for children’s literature, especially when it comes to books for the smallest. In all times, kids developed following pretty much the same patterns and things that captivated infants a hundred years ago will most likely attract their attention now. Without going that far, The “Dear Zoo” baby book was written by Rod Campbell 25 years ago and confidently passed the test of time. Today, it is not less popular among kids and their parents, and deservedly so.

At a glance, the book is fairly simple and there is nothing special about it. However, a solid hardcover with imprinted golden letters looks catchy and gives the whole book a touch of luxury. So, it will definitely catch your attention and induce you to peek inside. And the whole story will turn out really interesting and exciting. In Dear Zoo, a kid writes an imaginary letter to the zoo asking for a pet animal and views through a number of wild animals that simply don’t fit as pets. While reading, the child will have a chance to guess who is hidden beyond the lift-flaps mimicking crates and cages to see what animal the zoo has sent this time. Besides, each picture provides some sort of clue to help toddlers identify an animal lying underneath. And you are welcomed to ask your tiny tot some questions to induce a conversation. Thus, in a playful and engaging manner, your little one will get involved in a kind of interactive game that will be fun for both of you.

Some customers, though, claim that book pages are quite empty and the font is rather plain. At the same time, this simplicity along with a sturdy board design is what makes this book a perfect match for smaller infants. There won’t be a lot of stuff distracting the child’s attention from the main idea. Meanwhile, nicely sized pictures in soft colours and tactile flaps will let you use the book even for newborns as they start showing interest to surrounding objects.