If you have a child or have children in your family, it’s only natural to want to share things you love with them. This includes books, even books to read for them as babies. Just think about all of the books you buy before the baby is even earth-side — sure, you may have bought the “classic” books that seem to be in every other nursery, but you’ve probably also bought some books about things you like, or stories that you love or that have special meaning to you. There are board books about almost anything now, which makes it easy to share your interests with your child, even at the earliest stages.
If you’re a comics lover, don’t fret — it’s not too early to share your love of everything comics — yes, really! While they may not be excited for a trip to your local comic store just yet, there are plenty of board books with fun and age-appropriate introductions to comic book heroes and geek culture that are fun for you to read, too. (Because let’s be honest: reading a stack of board books can get tedious and having some fun books in the pile can make things a little less painful).
In putting this list together, I have to note that the growing diversity in comics writing and illustrating has unfortunately not transferred over to comic board books/little kid books, at least not yet.
These are some of my favorite comics to share with babies — YMMV depending on your favorite comics character.
Diversity is a Superpower by Julie Merberg
I love all of these DC board books by Downtown Bookworks, and this one is great. The text of this book talks about all the different places each superhero is from, and how each one can do different things. Although they aren’t the same, together they can join forces and save the world. Starfire, Beast Boy, Bumblebee, and more are all in here. Especially when paired with some of the other board books like Even Super Heroes Sleep and My First Book of Superpowers, your baby will get a great introduction to a wide variety of superheroes.
Marvel Alphablock: The Marvel Cinematic Universe From A to Z by Peski Studio
Maybe you’ve seen the Alphablocks before on the shelves — the Block Books from Abrams come in a variety of themes, like Star Wars, Disney, or dinosaurs, and this one is Marvel. With die-cut pages and vibrant illustrations, it’s hard to say which one will like this better — you or the baby. Each letter stands for a superhero or two, with a foldout chart of all the superheroes in the book in the back. Shuri, Gamora, Nakia, Loki — they’re all here, and after this book, your baby will be ready for the next MCU movie! Well…almost. Give it a few more years.
Little Thor Gets Mad by Victoria Watson Nguyen and Rubin Pingk
We all have feelings, and even little kids can have BIG feelings. Little Thor gets very mad when Loki knocks down his blocks, and debates whether or not to use his hammer and destroy all the things around him. Although your baby may not be able to grasp the message of the book just yet, the illustrations of the little superheroes are very cute and colorful, and it’s a good book to have on hand for the toddler years, when big emotions abound.
Marvel’s Super Hero Adventures: Flying Super Heroes by Sally Little & Dario Brizuela
This board book is special in that it’s die-cut and you’re able to spin the flying superheroes around. Your baby won’t be able to do that yet, but they’ll be able to see you do it — and who doesn’t love spinning things? Spider-Man, Iron Man, Captain Marvel, Black Panther — they’re all here in a fun story about saving the city they love.
Miles Morales Little Golden Book by Frank Berrios
Who else has warm and fuzzy memories of Little Golden Books growing up? I loved these; I can remember my grandmother reading them to me, and when I was able to, reading them myself. Now there are comics Little Golden Books, including this Miles Morales one. It’s a little more in-depth than a board book to read to your baby, but they’ll like the pictures and it’s a nice change of pace.
Star Wars ABC-3PO: Alphabet Book by Calliope Glass, Caitlin Kennedy, & Katie Cook
I’m counting Star Wars under the comic umbrella, since there are many Star Wars comic books. This book is fun to read for adults and kids will like the illustrations inside. As your baby gets older, they’ll be able to learn the alphabet and develop an affinity for a galaxy far, far away. If they love this one, there’s also a numbers one called Obi-123.
Baby Geek by Mark Mazzenga & Korwin Briggs
Okay, this one isn’t just comics but I wanted to include it here because it has Star Trek references, Star Wars characters, X-Men, comic cons, and all things geeky to prime your baby’s love of comics and geek culture. It’s informative, it rhymes, and it’s a really fun book to read for adults.
If you’re looking for even more books for your baby, check out this post on interactive board books and this post on high-contrast board books.
