Birthdays are such a fun time for little ones to enjoy. A time of celebration that is focused on them can be exciting, overwhelming, and even embarrassing. Celebrating the birthdays of others, especially siblings can bring on feelings of jealousy and resentment.
Books are a great way to teach about any subject, but especially birthdays! I have gathered a list of fun and engaging books about birthdays for little ones!
How do you teach children about their birthdays?
Here are some great ways to teach children about their birthdays and why they are a significant day in their lives. As we all know, children are little sponges and often by age 2 or 3, they know what their birthday is and why it is exciting!
Explain What A Birthday Is
Help your children learn about birthdays by first explaining what a birthday actually is. Explain that a birthday is the day someone was born into the world and took their first breath!
Memorize the Month and Day
Help them memorize the month and day that they were born!
Learn to Recognize the Signs of the Season They Are Born In
You can help your child learn if their birthday is coming by helping them recognize the signs of the season.
For example, if your child was born in December, you can point out that Christmas lights will start coming out around their birthday.
Sing the Birthday Song
Everyone loves the birthday song! Help your child to learn the birthday song and pretend to blow out candles!
Attend Friends Birthdays
Attend different birthday parties to help your child learn about what birthdays are and the different ways they can be celebrated!
Are birthdays important in our lives?
Birthdays are such an important milestone in our lives, although each family puts an emphasis on them in different ways. Birthdays are a wonderful way to celebrate your child individually.
Just Simply Mom’s Top Birthday Book Picks
Here are some of my personal favorite birthday books for little ones!
The Night Before My Birthday captures all the excitement and anticipation that every child experiences in the lead-up to their special day. The decorations are up, the table is set, and the food is ready – but what happens when there is an ice cream emergency? Once again Natasha Wing has written a story that is sure to appeal to every child getting ready for a birthday. The book is told by and seen through the eyes of the birthday child, so it is gender-neutral and a fun gift for any birthday girl or boy.
What’s a cupcake to do when she needs to plan her birthday party? In this hilarious, kid-friendly homage to food and birthdays, Cupcake runs through tons of ideas while her best friend, Blueberry Muffin, finds reasons why they won’t work: Soup gets seasick; Donut melts in the sun; someone might get squashed during musical chairs; and Cupcake is not very good at limbo (her icing might get sliced off!). Just as Cupcake is ready to crumble, Blueberry Muffin has one last idea that just might save the day.
Amazon’s Top Birthday Book Picks
Have you ever noticed that Amazon has its own favorite picks for different items? Here are a few!
In the picture book Happy Birthday to You!, Dr. Seuss has crafted the perfect celebration of the person you were born to be. When the Great Birthday Bird arrives to usher in your “Day of all Days,” you can expect a colorful romp full of fantastical fun that is all about YOU!
It’s Biscuit’s birthday, and he’s having a party! Join his friends in helping him celebrate. There are eight pages of activities at the end of the book, including a word search, maze, matching game, and more. This is a sweet book for a beginning reader’s birthday party, or just to share with your little puppy.
Personalized Books About Birthdays
These books are super neat because they can be personalized for your little one! That makes it so fun and special!
This story includes the child’s first and last name, gender, birth date, photo, and the sender name(s) for the dedication page. Celebrate a special child’s birthday with this personalized, unique present that they will cherish for years to come.
This book is similar to the book listed above, but for a boy instead!
This is an adorable book for your baby’s first birthday and completely customizable!
Peppa Goes to … Birthday Party
Create your character using custom hairstyles, skin tones, an option for glasses, and more. Plan the perfect party with Peppa and all her friends! This storybook (also available in blue) is the perfect customized gift for any Peppa Pig fan.
Birthday Books With Fun Animal Characters
Learning is best when it is fun! These books are sure to make your little ones smile!
In Spot’s Birthday Party, Spot and his friends celebrate by playing a game of hide-and-seek, with a little help from the lift-the-flaps for which Spot books have become famous. Once everyone has been found, it’s time for a party with lots of presents!
With his signature blend of playfulness and sensitivity, Todd Parr explores all the different things you can do on your birthday: a day that’s all about you!
Kids will be thrilled to see Baby Shark as he celebrates his birthday.
With the cheery illustrations that you’ve all come to love, the Baby Shark’s family birthday celebrations may even be similar to your own! The well-known tune is so catchy and simple that everyone will sing along!
Birthday Books Featuring Favorite Characters
Who doesn’t like books with their favorite character? These are sure to make your little one enjoy learning about birthdays.
Happy Birthday from the Very Hungry Caterpillar
Join The Very Hungry Caterpillar for a celebration of everyone’s special day. This beautiful book features Eric Carle’s bright, colorful artwork of birthday surprises–from presents to balloons, and of course, cake–with The Very Hungry Caterpillar making an appearance alongside each one. This book is the perfect birthday gift for readers young and old.
It’s Blue’s birthday, which can mean only one thing: a special birthday game of Blue’s Clues! Help Josh as he sets up for Blue’s party and tries to find the perfect gift. Boys and girls ages 2 to 5, and Little Golden Book collectors of all ages, will love this fun, birthday-themed book!
Grr-ific! Happy Birthday, Neighbor! Join Daniel Tiger and friends as they help celebrate your kiddo’s special day in this personalized birthday book designed for little Daniel Tiger fans!
Enjoy cake, presents, and singing the Happy Birthday song with your favorite neighborhood pals in this lively rhyming Daniel Tiger birthday book for toddlers that captures all the giggles and fun a birthday party brings.
This unique keepsake sturdy birthday board book includes a special cover flap designed for a personalized inscription as well as an envelope and seal for gift giving.
Little ones will love this special greeting card alternative that can be read over and over again! Daniel Tiger books are the perfect birthday treat for any little Daniel Tiger fan!
Curious George and the Birthday Surprise
When the man with the yellow hat tells George that he is planning a surprise, of course, George is curious. Before long George finds a hat, noisemakers, decorations, and games. It must be a birthday! But whose birthday is it? That’s the surprise! This paperback edition now includes a maze and a birthday vocabulary seek-and-find.
It’s another year to blow out candles and celebrate YOU, and Elmo, Abby Cadabby, and all the Sesame friends are here to say something very special on the big day in this happy birthday book!
With an encouraging message, charming rhymes, colorful artwork, and bonus space in the front and back for party guests to sign their name or write a message, children and families will cherish this keepsake of a memorable day for years to come.
Perfect for Sesame Street birthday parties, first or second birthdays, or as an addition to other gifts for toddlers and kids ages 1 to 5, this signing book will be treasured at any age!
Funny Birthday Books
What is better than hearing your little one laugh? These picks are sure to make your little one giggly!
The Worst Birthday Book in the Entire World
Happy birthday…or not… because this is the Worst Birthday Book in the Whole Entire World! Nameless, the rock with the fancy red hat on the cover, tries to explain to the reader why this book is simply the worst BIRTHDAY book ever. What could possibly be so bad about a book about birthdays? Whose birthday is it?? Is there really a mad cow in this book? Wait…WHAT?!?
The Berenstain Bears and Too Much Birthday
This classic Berenstain Bears story is a perfect way to teach children about birthdays and what’s most important about them!
Ten Rules of the Birthday Wish
A joyful picture book that celebrates every kid’s favorite day of the year, The most important rule is #1: It must be your birthday.
Dinosaur Birthday Books
If your little one is a dinosaur lover like mine, these books should be at the top of your list.
Little Dino wants his birthday party to be the best party ever. After all, his friends will be there, and he wants everything to be perfect! However, one by one, things go wrong and poor Little Dino doesn’t know what to do. From popped balloons to the wrong name on the cake, Little Dino’s plans seem to be ruined. Fortunately, his friends arrive just in time!
How Do Dinosaurs Say Happy Birthday?
Everyone has a birthday, and from riotous birthday parties to the excitement of being one year older, having a birthday is the highlight of a young child’s year.
All little dinosaurs love to get presents, and this new board book will be an immediate favorite. From birthday hats to Ceratosaurus-sized cakes, America’s young readers will laugh out loud as the celebration moves from “bad” birthday behavior to just the right amount of silliness and sharing.
A Dinosaur Came to My Birthday Party
Delightfully illustrated with colorful illustrations on every page, your child is taken on a quest to discover what type of dinosaur came to the birthday party. Was it a ferocious Tyrannosaurus Rex or a spiky Stegosaurus? Maybe it was a massive Apatosaurus or a fierce Baryonyx. The ending is an unexpected surprise! A book to share with your child over and over again.
Happy Birthday Danny the Dinosaur
What would happen if a dinosaur came to a birthday party? Come to Danny’s house and find out. His friend the dinosaur helps make this one party you’ll never forget!
Happy Birthday, Danny and the Dinosaur! is a Level One I Can Read book that is perfect for children learning to sound out words and sentences.
If a T-Rex Crashes Your Birthday Party
You never know what will happen when a T. Rex crashes your birthday party. Sure, you’ll be super excited when he turns up at your door. But then he’ll stomp. He’ll ROAR. He’ll look at you as if he’s wondering how you taste with a little mustard. In the end, though, you just may find yourself asking him to come back next year! This delightfully whimsical picture book has a fun twist kids will love.
Princess Books about Birthdays
Your little princess will fall head over heels for these birthday books!
It’s a royal celebration for Belle, Tiana, Jasmine, and the other Disney Princesses as they celebrate their birthdays! This Step 1 Step into Reading leveled reader is perfect for children ages 4 to 6.
Queen Elsa, Kristoff, and Olaf want to give Princess Anna the best birthday celebration ever! Based on the Disney Frozen animated short Frozen Fever, this Little Golden Book is perfect for boys and girls ages 2 to 5.
Can Nickelodeon’s Nella the Princess Knight make Sir Garret’s birthday wish come true? Boys and girls ages 4 to 6 will love finding out in this Step 2 deluxe Step into Reading leveled reader that features over 30 shiny stickers.
Princess Joy’s Birthday Blessings
In Princess Joy’s Birthday Blessing, Princess Joy loves celebrating her birthday! But when no one accepts the princesses’ invitation to their sister Joy’s surprise birthday party, she finds out and is sad.
Then her father, the king, helps her understand that there are more ways to celebrate a special day and much better gifts to get than ones wrapped in pretty paper and bows.
Joy then decides to create a party for some very special guests, creating a celebration for everyone to enjoy.
Birthday Books featuring fun Rhymes
Rhyming is fun and has lots of benefits for little ones that are learning to read.
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Birthday Cake
There was an old lady who swallowed a cake. I don’t know why she swallowed a cake. It was a mistake!
The Old Lady has swallowed a cake, and a candle, and a sign, and some balloons, and a hat, and some gifts. Can you guess why?
Filled with hilarious illustrations and fun rhyming text, this is perfect for young readers looking for a wacky birthday celebration!
Put your clothes on inside out, heat up the ice cream, and hang on to your party hats—because everything’s out of whack at the backward birthday party!
From beloved, three-time Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Tom Chapin, and four-time Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter John Forster, and with stunning illustrations from Chuck Groenink comes the zaniest birthday party you’ll ever attend.
What’s better than getting a brand-new toy as a birthday gift? Playing with the box it came in!
Climb in for a flight across the ocean, a jaunt on a sailing ship, some sledding down a slippery slope, and a brief stint as a robot.
Good thing the toy pup that came inside the box is happy to come along for the ride! Leslie Patricelli draws from the well of parental wit and wisdom for another adventure starring everyone’s favorite baby character.
Books for Baby’s First Birthday
Your baby is one! How exciting! These picks are some great books to commemorate your little ones first birthday!
Celebrate the special day with this personalized birthday book designed for one-year-olds! Enjoy cake, presents, and a fun gift with this lively rhyming birthday book for baby that captures all the giggles and fun a birthday party brings. This unique keepsake sturdy birthday board book includes a special cover flap designed for a personalized inscription as well as an envelope and seal for gift giving.
Filled with all sorts of birthday fun for little ones, this engaging board book with touch-and-feel elements introduces Baby to all the wonderful delights of a birthday party!
Happy Birthday- Touch and Feel
Explore all kinds of birthday fun from surprise gifts to colorful balloons in this touch-and-feel board book. Perfect for little hands to hold, this sensory book features a variety of materials to touch and feel.
Fun Activities to go along With Books about Birthdays
Here are some fun activities to go along with books about birthdays!
- Create a Birthday Box
- Decorate Birthday Cupcakes
- Make Birthday Cards
- Toss Birthday Balloons Around
- Pretend to Blow Out Candles
- Make DIY Party Hats
Frequently Asked Questions about Birthday Books
You may have some burning questions about birthday books. Here are some common ones:
What is the best type of birthday book for prechoolers?
I prefer to have a variety of different books for preschoolers. This helps to teach them and also feeds their imagination.
Should you purchase a birthday book as a gift?
Birthday books are great gifts! Even if you are not buying the birthday book as a birthday gift, they are still a great option!
What is the origin of birthdays?
Many different cultures have birthday celebrations, but it is probably not shocking that the Egyptians were pioneers of the birthday party celebration. Of course, the celebration first started with royals and then trickled down to other members of the culture varying in status.
Overall, birthdays are an important celebration to teach your little ones about. It is important to teach your littles how to celebrate others’ birthdays as well as their own.
What are your favorite birthday celebration traditions? Let me know in the comments below!
