Board Books My 16 Month Old Loves

I’ve always known the importance of reading to kids from an early age, and since I’m a big reader myself, it wasn’t hard for me to make reading with my son a habit beginning when he was a newborn. He’s enjoyed books since he was tiny, but lately I’ve seen his interest in his board books grow even more. Often, he wants to spend 30 to 45 minutes at a time engaged with listening to the stories, looking at the pictures, and turning the pages. It has been so sweet to watch his love of books develop, and I so enjoy our precious reading time together each day.

While just about any book will do, there are a few that we have been reading multiple times every single day that my 16-month-old son engages with the most and wants us to read again and again. These are the books that will make him stop whatever he’s doing to come sit with me and read. You’ll probably recognize a few of them as classics that have been in print for decades, and there’s a good reason they’re still popular! In addition to the tried and true classics, there are some newer titles on this list that my son loves just as much.

At 16 months old, my son is still not ready to handle the fragile pages of paperbacks and hardcover picture books, but board books are great at this age because he can turn the thick pages by himself. I love to encourage him to engage with books in a hands on way, so I have board books on a few different shelves within his reach throughout our home. I think one of the best ways to make sure he has the opportunity to read books often is to have them all over the house!

I’ll share Amazon links with you to some of my son’s favorite books as a 16 month old. I love buying books secondhand when I can, but if that’s not a feasible option for you and Amazon is your preferred place to buy books, I do earn a small percentage of sales from purchases from any of my Amazon Associate links here.

Our Favorite Board Books at 16 Months

As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small percentage from purchases from the links in this blog post. This comes at no added cost to you, but it helps support me at Learning Mamahood.

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?

You’ve heard of this one right? Of course you have. It’s probably already on your shelf! It’s been in print for decades, and the classic repetitive story and Eric Carle’s vibrant illustrations catch my son’s attention every time we read it. He began loving this one around 10 months old, and he’s been a fan of it ever since. Sometimes we’ll add in the animal sounds or the sign language for each animal.

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

This one is another classic that has been around for a long time, but I actually don’t remember much more than the title of it from when I was a kid. I’ve certainly made up for lost time though, and I’ve memorized it well enough that I don’t need the text on the page anymore to read it! I love the bright colors and the rhyming in this one. My son’s favorite part is the page where it says “Mamas and papas and uncles and aunts hug their little dears then dust their pants.” Each time I turn to it, he smiles because he knows I’m about to give him a hug and “dust his pants.”

I Am a Bunny

This one is a slightly lesser-known classic, but its original copyright date is 1963. There’s something calming and relaxing about this book, and the illustrations (by Richard Scarry!) are absolutely gorgeous. The bunny talks about what he likes to do in each season of the year, and there are great opportunities to engage with the text by pointing out the colors of the butterflies, flowers, and leaves and discussing the different types of weather.

Llama Llama Hoppity-Hop

This was the first Llama Llama book we read and the only one we own, but my son thinks it’s so fun! It’s a fairly short book, and the text has very simple rhymes and actions. (“Llama Llama HOP! Llama Llama JUMP! Llama Llama Red Pajama THUMP, THUMP, THUMP!”) We like to do the actions along with the text, and he’s enjoyed adding in the gross motor skills as he develops them. I love having the opportunity for connection between reading time and gross motor play.

Good Morning, Farm Friends

We received this book from Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, and it quickly became a favorite! It has a good rhyme to it, and my son loves any book with farm animal sounds.

Little Blue Truck

Speaking of farm animal sounds… Y’all. This book is my absolute favorite of all the board books on our shelves. It’s a modern classic, and I really believe this one is going to stand the test of time. The rhythm and rhyme make it so fun to read that I’m somehow not tired of it even after reading it aloud roughly 4 million times. We own and love some of the other books in the Little Blue Truck series as well!

Jungle Night

I’m not sure any baby or toddler reading list would be complete without a Sandra Boynton book in the mix. This title was just released in 2020, and Oliver’s aunt sent it to us before I’d heard of it. It has a little humor in it, along with some creative and rhythmic takes on animal sleeping sounds that make it a great read aloud book.

I hope this list has given you some ideas of books to look for on your next library trip or books to add to your shelves at home. Signing off now so I can go read Little Blue Truck a few more times today! 😉