Realistic black and white, high-contrast drawings and a low page count make this brief board book perfect for the very youngest infants and an unexpected full-color final illustration adds interest.

Sophisticated black and white artwork with red accents accompanies a three-part catalog of quirky combinations of animals, objects and settings; in addition to being visually arresting, the pictures offer parents plenty of details to point out and talk about as baby grows.

This extra-wide board book showcases a variety of ships, boats and even a submarine; vigorous illustrations in bold colors and inventive sounds, from the flap of a sail to the siren on a fireboat, bring the vessels to life.

Sleepy babies are cuddled close or sprawled out, yawning sweetly or rubbing their eyes in appealing close-up photos that showcase children from around the world in the latest title in the outstanding Global Babies board book series.

A small bear (I Play) and a number of different animals (I Get Dressed) engage in fun, familiar activities (like reading!) or show off various items of clothing (including some seriously snazzy underpants) in these board books perfectly sized for baby hands.

Colorful, realistic paintings of apes, monkeys and other primates, including humans, peer from the pages of this board book, illustrating the author’s assertion that we are “All one family.”

The focus of these collected nursery rhymes, some familiar and some not, moves from morning to night; sturdy pages, a padded cover and Rosemary Well’s charming illustrations make this board book compilation of verses from two larger collections just right for the littlest listeners.

Drawn with just a few scribbly black lines, Smick is a big, goofy dog who delights in finding a new friend; rhyming phrases and repetition make this story especially fun to read aloud, simple words make it accessible to big brothers and sisters eager to share books with the babies in their lives.

Sturdy flaps, bright colors and a bouncy interactive text introduce a diverse group of babies to a soon-to-be familiar everyday experience filled with toys, bubbles and fun.

This board book’s unusual construction offers a tactile experience perfect for the youngest listeners; raised shapes are paired with incised areas on opposite pages, allowing babies to enjoy the book with their fingers as well as their eyes and ears.