6 picture books to gift at a baby shower — instead of another onesie

A book outlasts the onesie. These six are Caldecott and Newbery winners built for the earliest years — the picture books families end up reading on repeat until the pages soften.

Best for newborn through age 5 · pair two or three for a full gift.

1. 
   1The Very Hungry Caterpillar

   by Eric Carle · Grades K–2th · 26 pages · 1969

   Eric Carle's collage classic teaches counting, the days of the week, and metamorphosis — the caterpillar-shaped holes in the pages make it a lifelong first favorite.

   Get it on AmazonPrime→
2. 
   2Last Stop on Market Street

   by Matt de la Peña · Grades K–3th · 32 pages · 2015

   The first picture book ever to win the Newbery Medal (2016), plus a Caldecott Honor — CJ and his grandmother's bus ride is as good for a baby shower as it is for a kindergarten classroom.

   Get it on AmazonPrime→
3. 
   3If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

   by Laura Numeroff · Grades K–3th · 32 pages · 1985

   Laura Numeroff's circular cause-and-effect story has been a read-aloud staple since 1985 — the kind of book a toddler will ask for by name before they can read it.

   Get it on AmazonPrime→
4. 
   4The Lion & the Mouse

   by Jerry Pinkney · Grades K–3th · 40 pages · 2009

   Jerry Pinkney's wordless retelling of the Aesop fable, set in the Serengeti, works for any age before a child can read — the illustrations do all the storytelling.

   Get it on AmazonPrime→
5. 
   5Watercress

   by Andrea Wang · Grades K–4th · 35 pages · 2021

   Winner of the Caldecott Medal, a Newbery Honor, and the APALA Award — Andrea Wang's story about a Chinese immigrant family and the memories that shape us.

   Get it on AmazonPrime→
6. 
   6A Ball for Daisy

   by Chris Raschka · Grades K–2th · 38 pages · 2011

   Winner of the 2012 Caldecott Medal — Chris Raschka's nearly wordless story about a dog and a lost ball is the rare picture book that makes both toddlers and parents feel something.

   Get it on AmazonPrime→

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