The 25 essential baby books every nursery should have

We recently heard some distressing news from a new-parent colleague: She hadn’t received any baby books for presents either at showers or post-birth. Sure, books may not be as straight-up practical as a Diaper Genie or a pack of onesies, but their effects last a whole lot longer. Our friend’s dilemma got some of us thinking about the books we read to our own offspring when they were little, which some of us still treasure as the calmest, happiest moments in those insane years of infant- and toddlerhood. So if you’re expecting (congratulations) or want to pick something that’s not on the registry for your next baby shower attendance, here are a couple dozen books that we heartily recommend. (If available, always go for the board-book options, because babies just love to chomp on books.)

24. I Like Myself, Karen Beaumont

Karen Beaumont’s I Like Myself is as simple as its title proclaims, a girl’s proclamation of self-worth in spite of anyone else’s opinion. But a surprising amount of the text is given over to extremes that she’d love herself despite (bad hair days, purple lips, and so on). Illustrator David Catrow gets a blank check here, creating huge Seuss-ian contraptions and kaleidoscopic oil paintings, making the whole thing an explosion of color that matches the book’s message. [Clayton Purdom]