All of these things are worth knowing, and explain why a periodic roundup of new titles is beyond warranted. These books appeal to young readers, of course, but because they’re the books most often purchased for those little hands by parents, caretakers, teachers, and librarians. Board books are sturdy and meant to withstand a lot of rereads, a lot of teeth marks, and a lot of being left in places where they could weather the elements. Because authorship on board books is tricky to track down for above-mentioned reasons, not all of these books have an attributed author beyond the publisher. That makes it nearly impossible to know how inclusive they are when it comes to authorship. What’s great is that this particular roundup of board books hitting shelves in the first half of 2022 appear to include an array of diverse characters in and within their covers (including disability representation, a topic I’m going to circle back to later this spring, as there has been improvement in this arena). Included here are a range of board books publishing through the end of June. They’re broken up into three broad categories: standalone titles, which may include series books that aren’t connected by a character or theme and instead are called series by the publisher for their own purposes; series books; and finally, picture books that have been brought into board book format. There are going to be franchise books included here, but for the most part, I’ve avoided including books by or featuring licensed characters. I wanted to make this list as broad in interest as possible, and while those books sell especially well, they’re going to get on a purchaser’s radar without much additional help necessary. This isn’t comprehensive but is a pretty thorough look at early 2022 board books. You’ll note the short descriptions for each title because, well, you don’t need a huge description of what a concept like a book about trees or a counting book might entail.
2022 Board Books for Little Readers, January–June
Standalone Titles
Series Titles
New in Board Book Format
Because most of these are beloved characters or well-known stories, there aren’t descriptions. These are previously published books in picture book format, now made available in board books. In some cases, the text has been shortened but in others, the difference is simply in the format. Note that you may need to toggle to the board book when clicking the link to access that format.
The Classic Tale of Peter Rabbit Board Book (The Revised Edition) by Beatrix Potter, illustrated by Charles Santore (January 25) Curious George: My First Kite by HA Rey (April 19) Dear Baby, Board Book: A Love Letter to Little Ones by Paris Rosenthal and Holly Hatam (March 29) The Dinky Donky: A Board Book by Craig Smith and Ms. Katz Cowley (May 3) Good Night Lagoon by Lisa Ann Scott, illustrated by Paco Sordo (May 3) Hush, Little Bunny Board Book by David Ezra Stein (February 8) If You Were a Penguin Board Book by Florence Minor and Wendell Minor (February 22) Louis by Tom Lichtenheld and Julie Rowan-Zoch (March 15) Plant The Tiny Seed by Christie Matheson (March 15) The Poky Little Puppy’s First Easter by Andrea Posner-Sanchez and Sue DiCicco (January 11) Sun Flower Lion Board Book by Kevin Henkes (May 10) Swimmy (Oversized Board Book) by Leo Lionni (February 22) Welcome to the Party Board Book by Gabrielle Union and Ashley Evans (February 22) Yoga Bunny Board Book by Brian Russo (February 15)
You might also be interested in these cuddly cloth books, indestructible baby books, and soft books for babies.
