In which Annie (high school teacher, mother of two young girls and a younger boy) and her aunt Deborah (children's bookseller, mother of two young women in their 20s) discuss children's books and come up with annotated lists.

Books for babies

Animal books:
Cat, by Matthew van Fleet
Dog, by Matthew van Fleet
Good Dog, Carl, by Alexandra Day
Moo, Baa, La La La!, by Sandra Boynton
Big Babies, Little Babies, by DK Publishing
Baby Animals in the Wild (and Baby Animals on the Farm), by Kingfisher Publishing
Baby! Baby!, by Vicky Ceelen
Yip! Snap! Yap! by Charles Fuge
A Good Day, by Kevin Henkes
The Bow-Wow books, by Mark Newgarden and Megan Montague Cash
Where's the Cat? by Stella Blackstone and Debbie Harter
Big Red Barn, by Margaret Wise Brown
My Friends, by Taro Gomi

Bath books (waterproof):
Bath Time! by Sandra Boynton
Barnyard Bath! by Sandra Boynton

Books with great pictures of babies (photos):
I Love Colors, by Margaret Miller
What's on My Head?, by Margaret Miller
Baby! Baby!, by Vicky Ceelen
Eat!, by Roberta Grobel Intrater
Baby Signs 
Eating the Rainbow
Global Babies
My Teeth
My Face Book
Baby! Talk! by Penny Gentieu

Books with great pictures of babies (drawings):
I Touch, by Helen Oxenbury

Books that are fun to point at:
Baby! Talk! by Penny Gentieu

Black and white illustration books:
Look Look!, by Peter Linenthal 

Books with racially diverse characters in them:
"More, More, More," Said the Baby, by Vera B. Williams
Baby! Baby!, by Vicky Ceelen
Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes, by Mem Fox (illustrated by Helen Oxenbury)
Baby Signs
Eating the Rainbow
Baby! Talk! by Penny Gentieu

Counting books:
Hippos Go Berserk, by Sandra Boynton

Exceptionally loving books:
"More, More, More," Said the Baby, by Vera B. Williams
Little Fur Family, by Margaret Wise Brown (ill. Garth Williams)

Goodnight books:
Goodnight Moon, by Margaret Wise Brown
Time for Bed, by Mem Fox (illustrated by Jane Dyer)

Noisy books:
The Noisy Book, by Soledad Bravi
Doggies, by Sandra Boynton
Cows in the Kitchen, by June Crebbin

Nursery rhymes:
The Real Mother Goose (illustrated by Blanche Fisher Wright)
Real Mother Goose board books
Tomie dePaola's Mother Goose
Tomie's Little Mother Goose
The Very Best of Mother Goose, ed. Iona Opie (illustrated by Rosemary Wells)
My Very First Mother Goose, ed. Iona Opie (illustrated by Rosemary Wells)
Here Comes Mother Goose, by Opie and Wells
Mother Goose's Little Treasures, by Opie and Wells
The Helen Oxenbury Nursery Collection  

Perfect board books:
The original Max and Ruby series, by Rosemary Wells
I Kissed the Baby!, by Mary Murphy 
Mr. Gumpy's Outing, by John Burningham 
Moo, Baa, La La La!, by Sandra Boynton 
Where's the Cat? by Stella Blackstone and Debbie Harter
Big Red Barn, by Margaret Wise Brown
Little Fur Family, by Margaret Wise Brown (ill. Garth Williams)

Touch and feel books:
Cat, by Matthew van Fleet
Dog, by Matthew van Fleet 
Peek-a-Boo! by Janet and Allan Ahlberg
The Very Hungry Caterpillar, by Eric Carle
Fish Eyes: A Book You Can Count On, by Lois Ehlert
Pat the Bunny, by Dorothy Kunhardt
Peek-a Who!, by Nina Laden

Books with a good beat:
Charlie Parker Played Be Bop, by Chris Raschka
Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb, by Al Perkins
Jamberry, by Bruce Degen