When I had my baby shower for Riley, a seasoned mom friend (and reading specialist) gifted me a set of black and white books. I was puzzled but intrigued by them immediately. I had never seen books like this before and they immediately caught my eye.
Being me, I researched them immediately and learned how these high contrast black and white books are fantastic for newborns and young babies — so much so that I ended up ordering more of them.
And guess what? She LOVED these. She was mesmerized by them and, when she was old enough, she would flip through these ALL the time by herself.
So while you are working on building up baby’s library, in addition to all the classics, make sure you check out this post for the best black and white books for newborns and babies to add to your collection. There are so many benefits for your baby with these high contrast books!
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P.S. Don’t forget to check out our favorite books for babies under 1.
Why black and white books are so beneficial for newborns and babies
I had read in a baby book, before researching the benefits of black and white books for babies, that vision is super underdeveloped when babies are born — like they can only see like 8 inches in front of them up until it improves a little more around 3 months.
Not only that, but, they really can only focus on high contrast things — especially black and white only at first. (Red is the next color they are able to see). In these first few months of your baby’s life they have a much easier time focusing on the black and white books versus books with busy illustrations and rainbows of colors.
Or you can watch this helpful video:
Black and White Books For Newborns & Babies
There’s a ton of them on Amazon that it gets overwhelming so I’m hoping to save you the trouble of searching and share our favorites and the ones I think are the standouts.
I have 3 tips for utilizing these black & white books:
- Linger on the pages, especially when they are young! I wouldn’t turn the page really until I felt Riley losing interest in it. Even if there were words (some below are wordless) I figured it’s not like she is eagerly awaiting the “story” at this point. So I took my time turning the pages so she could really focus on the black and white illustrations that downright mesmerized her sometimes. On a related note, when the books were wordless I would discuss and provide my own commentary and use it for tracking practice as we lingered.
- Use these during tummy time: Out of all the ways I tried to be successful with tummy time, these were probably most effective more often in the early days. I would either prop them up around her or I would hold them.
- Remember that babies under 3 months cannot focus on objects more than 8-10 inches from their face: Keep that in mind when you are positioning the books for them as you are reading or when you set them up for them.
Baby Animals: Black & White
Before the boom in these black and white high contrast books, this one was here! It’s a classic for a reason — charming and developmental appropriate for babies! The animal illustrations are adorable — dalmatian puppy, zebra, pandas and more! It is wordless fyi but I loved talking about the animals with my own commentary to Riley and this one she flipped through a lot and one I put in the diaper bag A LOT because I knew it would give some entertainment when we needed it.
I Kissed The Baby! by Mary Murphy
This is one of my favorites – -just an all around delight. With the high contrast illustrations, the sweet rhyming text, and the interactive potential this one has, it really is one of the best baby books out there. I seriously loved how playful it is and Riley loved when I’d do some of the actions like tickle or kiss (and especially when my inflection and cadence would change). Would make a great gift also!
Look, Look by Peter Linenthal
This is the series of books that got us turned on to these books, thanks to my wise friend! Peter Linenthal’s series of high contrast black and white books for newborns/babies is probably my absolute favorite if I had to pick just one on the list. And if you are looking for one that has words to actually read (as opposed to some of the wordless ones on the list), this series is a GREAT choice. Don’t miss the other books in the series: Look At Baby’s House, Look Look Outside, Look At The Animals.
Want developmentally and age appropriate picture books?
Love to read with your little one but feel too busy or overwhelmed to find new books to read with them that is great for their age? Check out Bookroo — it’s a wonderful book subscription box for kids that Riley LOVES getting and it saves me time when engaging and age appropriate books show up at our doorstep! You can read my review of Bookroo for more info.
Black White by Tana Hoban
Great high contrast book for newborns — we were looking at it from around 3 weeks. This one is PERFECT for tummy time, too, if you get the board book version because it can fold out to an accordion style and stands upright. No words, just pictures and this is one that should definitely be in your arsenal. We used this so often during tummy time and Riley was constantly looking at it and getting that good cognitive stimulation while working on that tummy time (which sometimes they just DON’T want to do).
Hello, Animals! by Smriti Prasadam
The cutest book full of baby animals! Simple texts – literally just saying hello to the animals — but really cute illustrations and each page has a little pop of glittery color in places (like seen on the cover) in addition to the the black and white. I would always make the animal sounds for even more fun! There is also a similar one from this author called Hello, Bugs!
You May Also Like: Books For 1 Year Olds
Baby Loves Sports
This whole series is a great one and has some other pops of colors which are attention grabbing as baby gets older, too. Mostly wordless & very bold simple high-contrast images all about sports and showing both the ball and a illustrated person engaged in that sport. As another note — I found these to be among the sturdiest of the bunch! Also check out: Hello Garden Bugs (my fave!!), Ocean Friends, My World, Baby Animals.
Books That Came Out After My Daughter Was A Baby That Look Great!
I don’t have actual experience with my child to give you with these since they are newer books (and she’s far too old for this type) but, for me, they look like ones to check out! These also focus on high contrast but some of them have other colors.
Baby Dream by Sunny Scribens
Okay I wish this one had been out when Riley was itty bitty because of the fact it combines two things she loved — the high contrast and books with realistic pictures of kids/people in them. The photos are black and white and then there is a page full of contrasting patterns next to it.
You May Also Like: Best Picture Books About Rain
Baby Montessori set – Chiara Piroddi
I will link all of them individually but this set looks truly fantastic and also has some concepts that can grow along with your baby. No words, just pictures and patterns again with this one. Would make a great gift as a box set. The author is an expert in neuropsychology and works with children! The books are: Big Or Small, Follow Me!, Animals and The Garden.
Hello You from Happy Baby
This one is out September 7th but I got to preview it early online and this one is FANTASTIC. Simple text and high contrast illustrations that are really inviting!
I hope this was helpful in finding the best black and white books to help your newborn and baby’s development. They truly are great additions to your child’s bookshelf and make fantastic gifts for any new mom and baby!
P.S. Looking for the best book subscription book for kids? Need a good bedtime book for babies and toddlers?
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Angela says
Thank you for these suggestions! I just added a few to my own registry (which is like 30% books at this point – the important things, right? Eek!)