The Best Black and White (High Contrast) Books for Babies
My 2-month-old’s eyes were stuck in one spot staring.
I craned my neck to get a view of what had so captivated his attention.
I laughed as I realized it was simply the black and white pattern on the inside of his blanket.
Young babies are attracted to patterns and high-contrast colors—like black on white. There have been quite a few high-contrast books created in recent years for this reason. And the fact that these patterns help with brain development doesn’t hurt.
Here are the best high contrast black and white books for babies so you can find a few great ones to use with your baby.
The Best High Contrast Baby Books – Quick Shop
- Baby’s Black and White Contrast Book Tabitha Paige
- Tummy Time!: A high-contrast fold-out book with mirror for babies Mama Makes Books
- Baby’s Very First Black and White Little Library Fiona Watt
- Hello Head to Toe (Happy Fox Books) Baby’s First Book John Townsend
- Look! Look! Peter Linenthal
- Sassy Peek-a-Boo Activity Book with Attachable Link for On-The-Go Travel
- 1 2 3 Counting Maxine Davenport
- I Kissed the Baby! Mary Murphy
- Hello, You! Amelia Hepworth
- Hello, Animals! Smriti Prasadam
- Follow Me!: A Baby Montessori Book Chiara Piroddi
- Hello, Baby Animals Duopress Labs
Why High Contrast Books?
High-contrast books are perfect for newborn babies because a baby’s vision is limited at this age. They can only see a distance of about 12 inches and contrasting colors are easier for them to focus on. Reading these books regularly with your newborn helps strengthen the baby’s retina and develop the optic nerve (DeTar, 2022).
Reading to your baby puts your baby at the perfect distance to easily focus on these black-and-white images. And adding books with small splashes of color, later on, can further help with cognitive development (early on babies can’t distinguish color).
Keep in mind that these books help develop your baby’s vision, but reading anything to your baby helps with language development. So combine some of these simple high-contrast books with other baby books that offer more language exposure.
The Best High Contrast Books for Babies
These books all have black-and-white images, keeping colors to a minimum. And focus on minimal text.
Baby’s Black and White Contrast Book Tabitha Paige
Some black-and-white books can be bland, looking more like ink blots than images. Bold patterns are easier for babies to see. I love that Baby’s Black and White Contrast Book includes artwork and images that are more realistic. So your baby is looking at high-contrast images that are visually stimulating. This book also folds open all the way, so you can lay it out in front of your baby during tummy time for visual stimulation. There are a few colors included to help with contrast, but most of the book is black and white.
Tummy Time!: A high-contrast fold-out book with mirror for babies Mama Makes Books
Tummy Time!: A high-contrast fold-out book with mirror for babies is a large book that is perfect for tummy time. The whole book opens so Baby can look at all the images or just one at a time. It includes mostly black and white images with a little color and a page with a mirror, which babies also love.
Baby’s Very First Black and White Little Library Fiona Watt
This library of books from Usborne Books includes a book about “Babies,” “Going Out,” “Animals,” and “Faces.” Each book in Baby’s Very First Black and White Little Library is in high contrast and offers images of specific things for Baby to learn, such as nose, eyes, house, etc. Babies love these little books that focus on identifying a single word and image. This helps them isolate words and understand their meaning sooner.
These books do include more color than some of the others and might be better as your newborn gets a little older.
Hello Head to Toe (Happy Fox Books) Baby’s First Book John Townsend
Teach your baby to recognize body parts with this high-contrast book that you can read. Hello Head to Toe (Happy Fox Books) Baby’s First Book follows different animals as they point out body parts, asking Baby to do the same. It also includes a mirror. This is a great book to hold Baby’s attention and to make them aware of their own body.
This is mostly black and white but includes a little color.
Other Books in This Collection: Hello Animals, Hello Happy Faces, & Hello Sea
Look! Look! Peter Linenthal
Look! Look! includes descriptive words about everyday items, such as “hands reach” and “sun shines” along with black and white images to help babies visualize them. It’s a good, simple little book that your baby will love early on.
This book is mostly black and white, with splashes of red, which is the first color a baby can see.
Sassy Peek-a-Boo Activity Book with Attachable Link for On-The-Go Travel
This little soft book is perfect for clipping onto the stroller or car seat. Sassy Peek-a-Boo Activity Book offers one thing that I love—interaction. It includes flaps for your baby to lift on each page, which adds and interactive element to this cloth book. I think this is such a cute idea that young babies will love.
It is mostly black and white, but includes some color. This is probably better for babies at 3+ months.
1 2 3 Counting Maxine Davenport
Looking for a way to introduce numbers and counting to your baby early on? 1 2 3 Counting is a great way to start giving your baby a visual for numbers. Plus, the beautiful illustrations will hold your baby’s attention and stimulate brain development.
This one is perfect for growing with your baby.
Related: The Best Books for Babies
I Kissed the Baby! Mary Murphy
I love that this book has a story and can grow with your baby. You can use I Kissed the Baby! for tummy time, but can also read it to your baby. I love the versatility. The storyline is very simple and about animals who are excited to interact with the new baby.
The main images in this book are black and white, but they’re accentuated by other colors.
Hello, You! Amelia Hepworth
These high-contrast board books are black and white with bold images that burst with a touch of color. It makes each page stand out vibrantly. Several topics focus on introducing a different animal, people, or things who all say “hello.”
Other Books in This Collection: Hello, Baby Animals!, Hello, World!, & Hello, Farm!
Hello, Animals! Smriti Prasadam
Similar to the Hello, You! books, these offer an introduction to different animals in black and white with the inclusion of one color on each page. The colors aren’t as vibrant in Hello, Animals! but one thing I love about these books is that they say hello to each animal and include the sounds they make. My babies always loved it when we added animal sounds to books so I love that this one includes them in their introduction.
Other Books in This Collection: Hello, Bugs!
Follow Me!: A Baby Montessori Book Chiara Piroddi
These baby Montessori books ask your baby to naturally interact with the book. This book asks Baby to follow the designs on each page. Trace each from start to finish and encourage your baby to use his little fingers to do so too.
These books are all black, white, and red (red is the first color a baby can recognize).
Other Books in This Collection: Animals, The Garden, & Big or Small?
Hello, Baby Animals Duopress Labs
Another Hello book, this book says hello to each animal in a different way such as, “Hi there,” “Good to see you,” and “What’s going on?” It includes high contrast images that are all in black and white and clearly defined. The book is illustrated by Julissa Mora and the white pictures are the perfect way to help your baby’s visual development. Plus, this is a sturdy board book that will hold up.
Other Books in This Collection: Hello, My World, Hello, Ocean Friends, and Hello, Garden Bugs.
Related: Interactive Board Books for Babies & The Best Christmas Books for Babies
I hope this list of the best high-contrast books for babies helps you choose some great books for your newborn baby. And you find them captivated by the black-and-white images on the pages along with their blanket.
Want to instill a love of reading in your young readers? Don’t forget to sign up for my free email course on raising readers.
References
DeTar, C. (2023, October 13). How High-Contrast Books Help babies Learn Necessary skills – Literati. Literati. https://literati.com/reading-levels-parent-guide/early-reading/how-high-contrast-books-help-babies-learn-necessary-skills/</a>
