Picture Books

Wooden books are sturdy first picture books for babies and toddlers: thick pages a small hand can grip, turn and hold up to show you. Alongside them you will find soft fabric books that crinkle and squeak, for the months when everything still goes in the mouth.

Why chunky wooden pages suit little hands

Thin paper pages crumple and tear in a one-year-old's grip. A wooden page is stiff and easy to catch at the edge, and it survives being pulled, dropped and chewed. That small success matters: they turn the page themselves, look, then turn the next one.

The pocket mini picture book is small enough for a changing bag or the pushchair basket, handy for waiting rooms and car journeys.

Montessori books for first words

Montessori books for the very young keep things simple: one clear picture, one thing to name. Sit side by side, point to the picture, say the word once and wait. Before long your child points first and looks at you for the name. This quiet naming game is a classic of the Montessori method for early language.

Fabric or wood: choosing a first toy book

• Fabric books: soft, light and noisy, with crinkly pages and a squeaker. Good for a child who still squeezes, shakes and chews a book before looking at it.
• Wooden picture books (ages 1+): for a child who wants to turn the pages alone and point to what they see. They wipe clean with a damp cloth.
• Pocket mini book: the same idea in a smaller format, for days out.

A toy book does not have to wait for bedtime. Leave one open on the floor among their other wooden Montessori toys: a baby who finds a book by themselves and turns a page unprompted is already reading in their own way.