Books with mirrors have been published for years, and they are one of my favorite novelty formats. Maybe it is because I remember the days of my nieces and nephew discovering the baby in the mirror and being fascinated by their new friend. But what was even more exciting is when my nieces and nephew realized that the baby in the mirror was them! These two moments are key developmental milestones in any baby’s life, and that is why board books with mirrors are perfect for the age group. Some of my favorites do more than just reveal the baby in the mirror, but they have an added layer of other important developmental milestones for the baby to master.

Peek-a-Who

One of my favorite board books with a mirror is Peek-a-Who? This book does so many wonderful things. It is a guessing game that piggybacks on a favorite game of babies and toddlers: peek-a-boo. But the last prompt asks: Peek-a-Who? To discover with the final page turn, the baby is looking in a mirror at themselves for a Peek-a-You! Reveal.

Smile, Baby

I created an adorable board book with a mirror when developing the Beginning Baby line at Chronicle. On every spread, kiddos are encouraged to identify different parts of their faces while looking at themselves in the mirror. With a circle die-cut that goes all the way through the book, babies can find their eyes, nose, and mouth with fun questioning prompts.

Baby See, Baby Do

This adorable board book doesn’t feature a mirror at the back of the book, but instead, it folds out from the back so that baby can see their expression on every page. Little ones are encouraged to mimic the faces they see on the pages of this book while touching on social-emotional learning.