Fall Board Book Round-up, Part I
It is that time again – our semi-annual look at some of the new board books being published for our youngest library users!
New Original Board Books
Akinaga, Yu. Toast. Do Re Mi, 09/2026. [24]p. $12.95. 978-1-917933-01-8.
This delightful bread-shaped book celebrates different kinds of toast. Many of the toppings are British, including beans and kippers, but there is also Masala toast, sweet red bean, and avocado. The graphic style full color artwork depicts diverse families enjoying toast, showing the universality of the food.
Arrhenius, Ingela P. USA ABC. Nosy Crow, 06/2026. [26]p. $8.99. 979-88-87772-80-6.
Showing both capital and lower-case letters, this alphabet focuses on items that are identified with the United States. Beginning with apple pie and baseball, other items include diversity, jazz, liberty, and the moon landing. A few of the topics will need an adult to explain them but most are things toddlers will understand. The color graphic style illustrations feature racially diverse characters.
Crumrine, Kim. The Little Red Barn. Gecko, 09/2026. [32]p. $14.99. 979-83-480-5624-7.
In this counting book, we see the same barn on the left side of each spread; on the right is a new group of animals after each page turn. The text names the animals and the amount but there are no numerals: “Seven sheep arrive: will they fit into the little red barn?” The surprise ending shows how the animals all fit into the barn. The deeply colored cartoon setting and animals are delightful, and young children will enjoy counting the different animals as they enter each scene. This has some of the same great qualities as Sandra Boynton’s board books.
Edwards, Nicola. Daddy Loves You. Illus. by Sophie Beer. Tiger Tales, 01/2026. [10]p. 9.99. 978-1-66435-197-4.
A simple rhyming text features animal fathers telling their babies how much they love them. The full color illustrations appear to be done with gouache, showing the father and child pairs playing together. There is a die-cut star in the front cover.
Edwards, Nicola. Mommy Loves You. Illus. by Sophie Beer. Tiger Tales, 01/2026. [10]p. 9.99. 978-1-66435-196-7.
Mother animals tell their babies how much they are loved in this rhyming story with brightly colored illustrations. Similar to Daddy Loves You (reviewed above), this has a heart-shaped die-cut in the front cover. With eye-catching artwork, the text is similar to many other books about parent and child love.
Evans, Harriet. I’m Nuts About You. Tiger Tales, 07/2026. [14]p. $8.99. 978-1-66435-225-4.
Forest animal parents tell their babies how much they love them in this rhyming story. With puns such as “I love you berry much,” with a message is similar to books by Sam McBratney (Guess How Much I Love You). The deeply colored collage illustrations are a strength of the book.
Hedger, Thomas. Windows. Do Re Mi, 09/2026. [26]p. $14.95. 978-1-917933-02-5.
In this rhyming story, there is a die-cut window every other page, showing a constellation, farm animals, race cars, and several other items. A little girl describes what she sees out the windows, using a text that includes repetition, making this fun for storytime. The deeply colored cartoon artwork is reminiscent of the work of Todd Parr but not as expressive. Even with the holes, this should hold up to library use.
Thompson, Adam. Where Do They Sleep? Illus. by Erica Harrison. Messy Press, 08/2026. [22]p. $10.99. 978-1-06709-853-7.
In this fact-based book, different animals and a few humans are shown asleep. “Dogs sleep in dog beds. Hippos slumber on river beds.” The straightforward text is paired with graphic style cartoon artwork, featuring deeply saturated colors and ink outlines. This is a great introduction to factual books for toddlers.
Voulters, Sam. Splash. Illus. by Zoey Kim. Do Re Mi, 09/2026. [20]p. $12.95. 978-1-917933-05-6
In this introduction to the water cycle, a little boy describes rain, how it soaks into the ground, how it later goes up to the sky, and so forth. Although words like evaporate don’t appear, the caregiver reading the book to a toddler can describe what is happening. The full-color artwork has a airbrushed quality that is engaging. Pair this with Ruth Spiro’s Baby Loves Meteorology! (Charlesbridge, 2025).
Xiao, Forest. Yummy Yummy. Candlewick, 09/2026. [18]p. $8.99. 978-1-53624-293-5.
A diverse group of babies shows various things that could be tasty: “Milk is yummy. Air is yummy. Music is yummy.” A few items may be questionable – should a goldfish be called yummy? Or a houseplant, which could be toxic? The babies, reminiscent of those in Helen Oxenbury’s classic board books, are very cute, but the concept that everything a baby puts in their mouth is yummy is problematic.
Penny Peck, San Jose State University iSchool
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