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My Mighty Marvel First Book Black Panther is classic and new

Saying that board books are for babies is like saying pizza is mostly circular. While that is true, you could also talk about the myriad number of ingredients, the thickness of crust, and so on. Sandra Boynton is the queen of board books. However, her style of board books is just like that classic pepperoni pizza, it’s one style. My Mighty Marvel First Book is a series of board books from Abrams Appleseed. This series absolutely nails to the floor the aspects, appearance, enjoyment, and characteristics that make up a great board book for crawlers and up.

Let’s take a look at The Incredible Hulk and Black Panther. “Those pictures look old”, our 11-year-old said while looking over the book. Obviously, these board books are meant for crawlers through early elementary school. However, I knew what he was talking about with his ‘old’ adjective. Black Panther is illustrated by John Buscema and The Incredible Hulk is done by Sal Buscema. John and his younger brother are legends in the Marvel Comic world. Their representation of every superhero at Marvel Comics came to define the appearance and personality of their superheroes for a generation. Sal had a 10-year run illustrating The Incredible Hulk, whereas John did at least one issue of every Marvel Comic book and then some. Suffice it to say, any parent that picks up either of these My Mighty Marvel First Books will have some sort of memory when they look at the art.

Board Books with punch that kids will love

Pocket Piggies Christmas! brings home the board book bacon

When I think back to the baby shower gifts we received there were some that rose above others. At both ends of the spectrum were an expensive glass vase and a 24-pack of Hot Wheels. The Hot Wheels cars both boys played with for hours and that vase is in the kitchen where it catches coins, spare batteries or other non-elegant things that it’s not suited for. Somewhere in the middle of these gifts are the board books that our boys enjoyed. In that vein, Pocket Piggies Christmas! is a board book that knows its audience and really delivers the bacon.

Pocket Piggies Christmas! Is seasonal, board book, comfort food for those newborns through toddlers.

Cute Pigs. Christmas Board Book. Happy Babies.

ABC for Me: ABC What Can I Be?, big, smart alphabet 411

ABC for Me: ABC What Can I Be? is the sort of book that kids and adults reading to three to six-year-old small people will cherish for a period of time. This is when kids are learning about jobs, where mom or dad go when they earn money, and what it is exactly that people call them there. It’s also an oversized-ABC book that’s printed on thicker than average cardboard paper. This isn’t board book thickness, but ABC What Can I Be? isn’t aimed at those crawlers. Instead, it’s a bright, happy, intelligent book that’s geared towards emerging readers who know some of the alphabet, but also want to have fun learning more.

ABC for Me: ABC What Can I Be? is a smart board book that digs deeper into what people can be with bright illustrations and simple sentences for 3-6.

This is a smart ABC book that’ll make ages 3-6 think about the future with a grin

Your Nose! is classic Boynton whimsy and joy

Sandra Boynton is the queen of board books. We’ve still got the board books that our now 10 year-old read when he was crawling across the floor. He’s sitting here beside me as I write this and commented that he remembered her books. Not to fact check him, but I went through the books that she’s written and illustrated and sure enough, the ones that I know are upstairs (in the secret box of baby stuff) were the ones that said he remembered. While it’s certainly possible to have all of her books, we only have eight of them, with many of their corners chewed, just a little bit. Your Nose! Is somewhere north of release number 75 for Boynton and continues the timeless quality and charm as her classics.

Sandra Boynton, queen of the board book, is back with your nose!

Indestructibles by Workman Publishing takes board books to the next level

To parents who read to newborns and toddlers board books can be their go-to solace. However, all board books are not created equal. They might have spines that are thinner than others or content that just doesn’t appeal to the audience. Granted, the later is a preference thing, however, given that you’re reading to infants or babies who are between birth and two they probably won’t be too picky. To that end, Workman Publishing has a series of books on their Indestructibles line that truly live up to their name.

Indestructibles is a book imprint from Workman Publishing whose books are durable, rip-proof, colorful and perfect for newborns through two.

weak baby books these are not

Astro Cat goes board book in Cosmic Machines and Into The Unknown

The Astro Cat series is brilliant. They present high concept STEM ideas into graphically pleasing books that make you want to learn. Dr. Dominic Walliman provides the science and Ben Newman presents the illustrations that make the content effortless to look at. Walliman’s text breaks down the complex ideas that could potentially spin our heads and presents it in a manner that’s appropriate for children. Astro Kittens is the board book series from this duo. Cosmic Machines and Into The Unknown take the same concept in Astro Cats and package it in a way that crawlers can consume.

Astro Kittens is the board book series featuring the go-to art and education by Dominic Walliman and Ben Newman, this time for even younger kids.

If you’re looking for smart board books for young babies, this is where to start