When it comes to baby books, some stick out more than others when it comes to must-have books. Reading is a fundamental part of your child's development, and the last thing you want them to do is to get behind.

If you're looking for a list of baby books that any child would enjoy listening to, you've come to the right place. You will get a list of fantastic books to choose from we're also going to tell you why reading to your children is essential.

Continue reading this article to find out everything that you need to know.

When our kids are babies, we can't wait for the day to hear them utter their first words. Reading to your child helps them develop language skills that they will need when it's time to begin talking.

As you continue to read to them, you'll find that they pick up words you've been reading to them quicker than anything else. Learning sounds and developing language skills early in life can help prevent your child from falling behind in school when they become of age to begin attending.

Your child will thank you for the head start.

Your child's imagination will be one of their childhood highlights and could carry them into adulthood. Reading helps them grow and continue developing their imagination skills when they imagine the faraway lands that their books talk about.

Imagination is essential because it's also directly linked to a child's ability to be creative. Reading also stimulates a child's curiosity and gets them thinking about different things.

Like why certain things in the story happen? What will happen at the end? Or they could begin to think of alternative endings for the hero in the store. Having a vivid imagination unlocks doors of the mind that children have only dreamed of.

One of the most useful things that your child can learn from reading books and having them read to them is the difference between what's real and what's not real. There are times when they may become confused about the reality of things once the book has been closed.

As a parent, it's your job to sit down with your child and explain what's real and what's not real. Letting them know that there are things the people in the stories can do that they can't do.

It may take time for them to understand what you're explaining to them, but they'll soon grasp the differences between reality and make-believe.

As children grow and develop, one thing that becomes new to them is their emotions. As parents, you can use storytelling to help them gather a better understanding of the different emotions that they're going to feel at one point or another and ways to deal with them.

Books will also prove beneficial as they get older and find themselves trying to make sense of situations they've never been in before. For example, a book can detail being angry and ways to release anger without hurting people around you.

Or it may detail the emotion of sadness and that sometimes it's okay to be sad. These stepping stones are what your children need to continue to respond to the emotions that they'll face in life appropriately.

The more time that you spend reading to and reading with your child will make them better readers. You've heard the saying practice makes perfect, well that saying applies to reading especially.

Hearing the same words repeated over and over again will help your child to hear what they sound like and mimic the words that you're reading. It may also help them to be able to identify the different letters that make up each word.

When children learn to read, it's crucial that they can read signs because signs are what keep us safe, and when a child can understand them effectively, they are safe. It also will help kids begin the process of identifying colors and what they mean.

For example, when the traffic light turns yellow, your child eventually will understand that yellow means to slow down. Or when they see the sign that gives the green light to walk, they'll know that red means don't go, and green means it's safe to walk.

It's no secret that children have shorter attention spans, and some adults do too. Part of this is because they lose interest in whatever is holding their attention for the time being, not reading.

Each page of a book offers a new piece to the overall puzzle or a new journey to embark on therefore holding your child's attention longer than usual. We aren't saying try to complete a chapter book in one sitting, but as their attention span becomes longer, you'll be able to sit and read to them longer.

It's no secret that children have shorter attention spans, and some adults do too. Part of this is because they lose interest in whatever is holding their attention for the time being, not reading.

Each page of a book offers a new piece to the overall puzzle or a new journey to embark on therefore holding your child's attention longer than usual. We aren't saying try to complete a chapter book in one sitting, but as their attention span becomes longer, you'll be able to sit and read to them longer.

Children go from being able to run around at home, and now they go to school and have to sit and focus on completing work. The reason that reading is useful for this is that it teaches your child that there is a time to play and a time to sit still and listen.

If your child is already used to sitting still and listening during storytime, it will make the transition easier once they go to school. And then they will soon develop the skills they need to sit and focus on other subjects such as art, history, or science.

Now that we've let you know why your child should be read to it's time to give you the list of books that are a must-have for every bookshelf in your home.

Goodnight Moon is a classic story about a little boy who has to say goodnight to everything surrounding him before bed, even the moon. This book is the perfect book to help your child wind down before they shut their eyes and may get them into the habit of saying goodnight right before they drift into a sea of dreams.

This book should be implemented in any bedtime routine that prepares your child for a restful slumber, even the kittens and mittens in the story get a goodnight from the young boy.

Some of the best books you can get for your little one are personalized baby books starring your pet. When they see their favorite furry friend in a book, they will immediately be engaged and excited.

How fun to glimpse the familiar face with whom they have grown up in the pages of a book! Whether it is a dog or cat, when your baby sees their beloved Rover or Fluffy represented in a book, they will experience their first thrill of the delights of reading.

You can even include multiple pets in the story. When you read aloud, give each pet a distinctive voice, and use that throughout the day when interacting with your baby and your animals.

This story is one of the best baby books and will have your child racing to turn the page to see what else the hungry caterpillar is going to eat before its significant transformation. It's a book that you probably heard when you were little, and now your children will get to hear it too.

The story is a classic story about how things change and become greater than they once were. If you thought the story was great, wait until your child sees what the caterpillar becomes at the end of this page-turner.

Remember when we talked about the repetition of syllables earlier? This is one of those animal storybooks to help your child begin learning sounds with its repetitive question of what the bear sees.

The story provides an engaging and fun approach to teaching your child about various animals and colors and was written by Eric Carle. Carle took his illustration skills and turned it into a career creating books just like these for readers.

If your child loves animals and reading about them, this is the book for them.

As children grow up and learn, they will begin to ask you if you love them even when they've done something to upset you. When those times come, you need to pull out this sweet story.

In the story, the little boy asks many questions that all ask the question, will you still love me if...? Your child needs to understand that while there are going to be times when they've disappointed you, it'll never change how much you love them, and this book is the perfect way to make that point.

Books with flipping flaps are among the best books that you can have lying around for your child. Their curiosity will get the best of them, and they'll be waiting for you to flip the flap so they can see what's under it.

The authors of this book paired the engaging flaps with learning body parts. As your child gets to lift each flap to see what's under it, they'll also discover where their body parts are located.

Soon they'll begin pointing to that body part on themselves instead of in the book.

Babies have to begin talking at some point, and with the help of this book, they'll be headed down the path to talking very shortly—the book pairs simple words with brightly illustrated pictures to learn the word and word association.

They'll learn that a banana is yellow, how to say it, and what the word looks like spelled out. Watch out because when your little one begins reciting these words, nothing is going to be able to stop them.

Another classic book finds a little boy being sent to bed because he was naughty. And soon, his room is transformed into a magical place, and he finds himself amid the wild things.

Once the lad becomes tired of being wild and not having rules, he realizes that rules are sometimes good and decides he's ready to leave the wild things. This book will have your child leaping off the walls joining in the wild things dance romp.

And at the same time, it will teach them why having rules is so important.

Dr. Seuss has written many children's books that challenge the tongue to a duel of pronunciation, but there is always a lesson in each book that children can benefit from. In the book Oh the Places You'll Go, children will learn that there are no limits when they put their minds to something.

As your child continues to grow, the lesson of the book will continue to follow them. And they'll understand that the only thing that can keep them from accomplishing their wildest dreams is themselves.

Get this book now because no bookshelf is complete without it.

This book teaches children about the things that make them different from others and embracing those things. Lena decides she will paint a portrait of herself and uses the color brown for her skin color.

As she and her mom make their way through her community, she begins to notice that her shade of brown isn't the only shade of brown that exists. Lena learns that there is much more in the world than just one version of things like colors and people.

When teaching your child about embracing our differences and similarities, this is one book that will help them understand how to do that.

This classic story details the lesson of giving all you have to those you love and understanding how giving is an act of love. In this story, whenever the young boy asks the tree for something, she finds a way to give herself.

The boy takes until there is nothing left of the tree except a stump for him to sit on when he's old. The book doesn't necessarily tell what lesson is to be taken from it, but as parents, there are many lessons that you can teach your children using the guidance of this book.

When it comes to baby books that your child needs to read to them, the ones listed above are ones that you've heard and know your child needs to hear. They detail life lessons that will stick with your child as they continue to grow and develop into young adults.

If you're interested in customizing a book for your child as a souvenir for a beloved pet, check out our create a book section to get the process started. Or if you feel led to donate to an animal shelter, contact us today.