2026 Blogging A to Z Challenge: Vocabulary
We’re in the home stretch now! Today, we’re looking at the Letter “V” – vocabulary! The 2026 Blogging A to Z Challenge has looked at all different concepts for babies and toddlers including alphabet, colors, numbers, shapes, and so much more! Today, I’m sharing books that includ words of all kinds, some that might be new to babies and toddlers. Can you imagine all the words you learn throughout the years? And by reading to kids, even as babies, you begin building your child’s vocabulary so that when they reach school, they’ll have an easier time learning to read. It’s easier to learn to read words, when you know a lot of words.
There’s a lot of different words in the books below – words for being kinds, different types of animals, the word hello in many different languages, and even onomatopoeia! I’ve even got a whole book about vegetable words, which means the next time you stop by the grocery store you can point out a new vegetable word that you learned and show off the real thing! What a great way to connect the word and the physical object together!
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2026 Blogging A to Z Challenge: Vocabulary
Baby’s First Kind Words by Hsinping Pan
Introducing concepts of kindness and compassion at the earliest stages of learning helps the idea stick as little ones grow. Through simple words, phrases, and bright, beautiful illustrations by Hsinping Pan, Baby’s First Kind Words presents language and actions that demonstrate affection and caring. Charming art brings the nicest words — such as “help,” “peace,” “welcome,” and “thanks” — to life for even the littlest children. This sweet board book is a joyful read that parents and their children will return to again and again.
Did You Hear That? by Antonio Vicente Lucerga, illustrated by Miguel Ordóñez
From the rooster crowing to Grandma sneezing, Antonio Vicente’s playful words and Miguel Ordóñez’s iconic, vibrant illustrations depict a day filled with onomatopoeias that help little ones identify different experiences and emotions. Listen closely—you never know what you might hear next!
First 101 Animal Words by Highlights
Budding readers will love this my-first-words book, filled with colorful photos of animals on the farm, in the ocean, in the jungle and more. Babies will enjoy exploring the pages and pointing out the animals as grown-ups read their names out loud. Then, they can lift the flaps to reveal exciting surprises underneath, like colors, sounds and patterns. With multiple ways to read and play, this 100-first-words book grows with children as they learn to talk and develop early literacy skills.
Hello, Baby by Little Bee Books
Hola! Ni Hao! Marhaba! Bonjour! Say hello in fifteen different languages as babies all over the world play and enjoy their day.
This informative board book introduces simple actions while teaching toddlers how to say “hello” in English, Chinese, French, Korean, Spanish, Arabic, German, Swahili, Navajo, Russian, sign language, Hindi, Portuguese, Japanese, and Italian. The bright photographs of happy children will capture the attention of any baby, and the pronunciation guide will help any reader learn new greetings with ease!
I Can Say Dada Book by Stephanie Cohen
Babies and toddlers will learn to say “Dada!” and other first words with this adorable and fun-to-read board book created by an early speech expert!
Each page features:
- Simple words and “Dada” phrases that are easy for little ones to imitate, and can be used and practiced throughout daily routines
- Rhythm and rhyme to encourage repetition and help keep babies engaged, even before they can understand the text
Real photographs that model correct mouth positions and support social emotional learning
Written by a speech-language pathologist, The I Can Say Dada Book uses a proven approach to teach little ones how to say “Dada!” Reading the book aloud helps caregivers easily model important aspects of communication for little ones―not only through sounds and words, but also with gestures, facial expressions and more!
My First Book of Vegetables by Wonder House Books
My First Board Book of Vegetables is the perfect picture book to introduce toddlers to common vegetables through bright, well-researched images and clear word labels. This early learning board book helps children recognize and name vegetables while enhancing their vocabulary and observation skills.
Designed especially for tiny hands and curious minds, this durable board book makes learning fun, visual, and engaging―perfect for building a strong foundation in everyday knowledge.
My First Busy Home: Let’s Look and Learn! by Charlie Gardner
Introducing My First Busy Home, an adorable tabbed board book for babies aged 0-3 featuring a busy home for them to explore.
This engaging board book is packed with bright and colorful pictures to get your little ones thinking and talking. Clear labels accompany the objects for babies to sound out the words with you, while questions encourage children to learn and play.
Pete the Cat’s 100 First Words by James Dean and Kimberly Dean
Sturdy oversized board pages with 100 words organized into Pete-tastic categories such as Colors, Awesome Animals, Rockin’ Instruments, and more makes this word book just right for helping babies and toddlers identify words they’re beginning to learn.
Spot’s First 100 Words by Eric Hill
Join Spot and his family and friends as they go on adventures to the park, the beach, the playground, and more—and discover 100 key first words along the way. Little ones will love exploring the colorful scenes and lifting lots of flaps on every page as they learn and play with Spot.
2026 is my eleventh year participating in the Blogging A to Z Challenge! This year, my theme is Board Books for Babies with a focus on providing book suggestions that parents and caregivers can share with, of course, babies, but also toddlers and preschoolers! Each letter of the alphabet will focus on a different subject and will provide nine titles for each subject. While there are dozens of classic board books out there, this list includes titles published in the past 5-6 years, so you’ll get to learn about new titles, authors, and publishers! Stop by daily to check out the new books and other posts that I’ll be sharing in April.
