The Best Board Books of 2013

The best board books of 2013 are interactive, colorful, and encouraging of a child's mental growth. Each story will quietly, unknowingly educate while entertaining at the same time. They're also easy to handle for little hands, with durable pages and vibrant illustrations that resist fading or tearing. These books make reading fun for all ages, even if your toddler has yet to grasp the meaning of certain words yet. Most board books, as you'll discover, feature animal characters because children love the idea of seeing and learning about different pets, insects, zoos, habitats, and farms from around the world.

For example:

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The Very Hungry Caterpillar (Eric Carle)

A decades-old classic, this story follows a very hungry caterpillar as he makes his way through the days of the week, munching on apples, pears, plums, and other leafy fruits as he goes. as he eats his way (literally) through the story, the caterpillar grows bigger and bigger, eventually getting an ache in his tummy from consuming so much food. The pages that follow show the caterpillar's transformation in a matter of days, from a caterpillar, to a cocoon, and finally, into a lovely, beautifully winged butterfly. An original story of transformation and metamorphosis, this tale is a bedtime tradition that still delights children and adults alike.

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My Big Animal Book (Roger Priddy)

Kids love animals. It's a fact! With that in mind, this book shows brightly colored pictures of different animals that you'd see in various parts of the world. It includes high-quality images of birds, farm animals, fish, zoo animals, pets, and other animals in their natural habitats, each featuring their name underneath the image to assist in developing a child's word and picture association. Revealing and fun to read, this book is a unique way to integrate a child's love of animals with a parent's desire for reading skill development.