Best Black and White Baby Books: High Contrast
Black and white baby books are best. When it comes to developmental toys and books for babies, there are so many options out there. And, it is hard for new parents and even seasoned caregivers to know where to start. Decorating your baby’s nursery in muted colors and patterns make for a very pleasant and calming place for your little one but muted colors aren’t always the best when it comes to supporting your baby’s visual development.
Calming colors make for a perfect place to rest and sleep but high contrast is best when it comes to grabbing your infant’s focus and helping him/her practice visual coordination, gaze stabilization, and visual tracking. Let’s dive in a bit further on visual development and high contrast.
This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you on qualifying purchases as an Amazon Associate.
Keep scrolling towards the bottom of the page for Book recommendations.
What is high contrast?
Degree of Difference between light and dark
Firstly, contrast is the degree of difference between the lightest and darkest portions of an image. High-contrast is when the degree of tone is the greatest.
Think of a dark wooden fan hanging on a white ceiling. I know in our home ceiling fans were quite the celebrities. Our babies greeted them every time we entered a room.
Complementary colors provide contrast
In this case, I’m referring to opposing colors known as complementary colors. Complementary colors are the colors that are opposite of each either on a color wheel like red and green, blue and orange, and yellow and purple.
Black and White: A strikingly opposed pair
Thus, black and white are complete opposites and provide the greatest visible contrast. This strikingly opposed pair is the perfect combination to hold a baby’s attention and facilitate a baby’s visual development (more on this later).
What are high-contrast books?
Bold Images
High contrast books have illustrations with white images on bold black backgrounds or high-contrast black images on white backgrounds. To provide strong contrast, the images will be painted with limited hues of similar colors.
Bold lines yet simple lines
Bold lines that make bold patterns are visually stimulating to infants. Simple pages such as one word text and one picture per page are great for babies and young readers. This will help them become familiar with common objects and assist them as they develop communication skills.
Why are black and white baby books important?
The visual system is the least developed when a baby is born. Thus, it is easier for a newborn baby to focus on high contrast images like black and white photos. It is easier because newborn babies are still forming vital visual connections from their brain to their retinas via the optic nerve.
The optic nerve is like a mail carrier it carries visual data from the baby’s eyes to his/her brain. As a baby’s eyesight develops, more complex data can be perceived such as the depth and the hues of colors. But, at first it is best to focus on high contrast patterns and objects to encourage strong visual connections.
Black and white baby Books are not the only source of high-contrast images. You can also find high contrast toys and infant stimulation cards. Infant stimulation cards are like strong contrast flash cards. A simple card with one bold pattern or bold lines to form an image such as a white whale on a black background.
In a nutshell, high contrast books are important because they:
- are easier for newborn babies to focus on
- encourage vision development
- hold a baby’s attention for longer
- improve the baby’s communication skills and language skills
- assist with building bonds between caregivers
- promote a good morning routine or healthy daily rhythm
- allow for stimulation without overstimulating the baby
- provide an opportunity for the baby to visually explore his/her world
What does infant visual development include?
A Visual Milestone Review
I’m a pediatric physical therapist and development is my bread and butter. Therefore, I will attempt to be brief. In the table below, I have included the most basic description of a baby’s first visual milestones.
Baby’s First Visual Milestones (0-8 months)
| Newborn | The vision of newborn babies starts out a little blurry. Their peripheral vision tends to be a bit sharper. Babies are not colored blind. They have poor color perception. |
| 1 month | Babies will begin to visually attend to an object about 8-10 inches in front of their face. They are developing gaze stabilization (focus). They will be able focus on high contrast images best. |
| 2 months | Babies begin to visually track an object. They are working on their visual coordination, using both eyes together. They also begin to discover their hands at this stage. |
| 3 months | Babies begin to bat and reach for objects that are in front of them. Their eyes are now working better together. Their visual coordination and visual tracking is improving. Red is the first primary color they strongly perceive. |
| 5 months | Babies are now visually experiencing a three dimensional world. They begin to develop depth perception and become more sensitive to ranges of colors. This is also a fun time to introduce a mirror. |
| 5-8 months | Babies will further develop their perception of color and depth and be able to recognize familiar objects and faces from across the room. |
Furthermore, this is not a comprehensive list of a baby’s visual development only a basic foundational understanding of a baby’s eyesight. It is good to remember that developmental milestones are a guideline to help us determine where our baby lands in comparison to others. Do not fret. If you are concerned, please reach out to your pediatrician or pediatric therapist (physical, speech and occupational) for insight.
What are the best Black and White books for babies?
In review, the ideal choice for high contrast books will contain bold images with contrasting colors like black and white, bold patterns, bold lines, and simple text. Bonus points if the book is sturdy and durable so little hands can hold and play with it without fear of tearing its pages. Any of these books listed below are a great first book for young babies and make great gifts for a baby shower.
Disclaimer: Below are 4 books that I have personally owned or used. At this time, I have not researched or purchased any other books by the listed authors or publishing companies. This is not a comprehensive list of the black and white baby books that are available. My goal is to give you the knowledge to be able to determine if the book you have chosen meets the criteria for a high contrast book. I am not an Amazon Affiliate at this time.
Hello Baby: Animals by Roger Priddy
A very simple high contrast book with simple illustrations with one word text. There is strong contrast throughout with black, white, and a little splash of color. This book gives you the perfect opportunity to practice your animal sounds. And, I think some of the animals tend to look a bit silly.
Hello, Baby Animals! by Amy Hepworth
This book includes cute black and white illustrations of baby animals with bright splashes of fluorescent color on every page.
Look Look! by Peter Linenthal
Look and learn with this sturdy board book. The curvy read text includes a subject with a verb such as “flowers bloom”.
Hello, Bugs! by Smriti Prasadam-Halls
I do love these high contrast illustrations of bugs mixed with shiny colors throughout. Get to know 10 different little bugs from a ladybug all the way to a butterfly.
Now you know. So, think out of the box!
Do not limit your baby to just black and white books
Remember high contrast colors include red and green, blue and orange, and yellow and purple. Below is a list of some classic children’s books that are ideal for babies and young children. These are some of our favorite board books that we continue to read even through toddlerhood (I’ll give these books and more a review soon).
Board books for babies that include strong contrast illustrations
And others:
- Brown Bear, Brown Bear What do You See? by Bill Martin Jr.
- The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
- Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault
- Good Night Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann
- Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb by Al Perkins
Ways to play with your baby using high contrast books
- Hold the book about 8-10 inches away from your baby’s face. Your baby will enjoy the book more if you are engaging with him/her.
- Place the book on the floor safely besides him/her or hold the book so your baby can see the book during floor time. Tummy time is great time to use black and white books. Also, placing your baby on his/her left and right side gives your baby different perspectives and challenges his/her tiny muscles differently. Always supervise your baby.
- When your baby is able to hold his/her focus on an object (2-3 months of age), slowly move the book up, down, right, and left. Allow your baby to follow and do not move the object again until you see him/her focus in on the object.
- Play music, point out objects in the book, tell stories and sing silly songs about the book when interacting with your baby.
All of this is hard work. Remember to give them lots of rest. You don’t want to overstimulate your baby.
Interested in more book lists for kids: Check these out!
35 Farm Books for Kids: A Picture Book Collection
More book lists coming soon!
Remember: Books and Toys are great but your face is BEST! You cannot be replaced.
Finally, I want to thank you for stopping by! Please say Hi in the comment section. What early developmental toys and high contrast books have you used with your little ones?
– With Great Joy, Katie
Pin it for Later!
These are so cute! The Spot books were one of my favourites when I was little!
Wow. Your article is amazing. My daughter will sure to like this.
These are interesting books and my aunt could get some of these for her baby. Thank you for sharing!
I had never even considered the colours and font of baby books when my daughters were young. Thank you for the guidance here, this was a really informative read. I will consider your advice when buying baby books for my friend’s children in the future! xxx
Wow, this is a fantastic resource! I remember reading about these books and getting some for my little ones when they were babies. They are still pretty little, but passed this age. However, I have a new nephew and I am going to use your list to give some new gifts! Thank you for sharing!!
Wow that’s fantastic information, and what may seem like common sense it is not something I had ever thought about…we know what the new grandbabies are getting ha ha…