I get asked this question more than almost any other at book fairs and school visits: "Should I be buying board books or picture books for my two-year-old?" It sounds like a simple question, but it opens up a proper conversation about how little ones actually interact with books before they can read a single word.
So I thought I'd sit down and write out everything I usually end up saying, half in a rush while a queue forms behind whoever asked.
The obvious bit: they're built differently
Board books have thick, cardboard pages. Picture books have thin, paper pages. That much you probably already know. But the reason for that difference runs deeper than durability, though durability matters a lot when the reader's instinct is to grab, crumple, and occasionally taste the pages.
Board books are designed for babies and young toddlers who are still developing their fine motor skills. A six-month-old can't turn a paper page without tearing it. They can't help it — their fingers haven't learned the pincer movement yet, so they grab with their whole fist. Board pages survive that. They survive being flung across the room, chewed on during teething, and dropped in the bath (though I wouldn't recommend that last one intentionally).
Picture books assume a reader — or a listener being read to — who can sit still for a few minutes and follow a story. The pages are thinner because they don't need to withstand being attacked. They're meant to be turned gently, usually by an adult or an older child who's developed enough control to separate one page from the next.
What goes inside is different too
This is the part I find more interesting than the physical format, because it shapes how children learn to engage with books.
Board books tend to be simple. One concept per page spread. A colour. A number. An animal with a single, clear label. A very short sentence — sometimes just a word or two. The illustrations are bold and uncluttered. That's intentional. Babies and toddlers have limited attention spans and even more limited vocabulary. A board book that says "Red apple" next to a big, clear picture of a red apple is giving them exactly what they can absorb in that moment.
When I wrote Colours of the Rainbow and Count to 10, I kept both books deliberately spare. Each page spread is its own little world — one colour or one number — with nothing competing for attention. That's not because I think babies are simple. It's because their brains are doing enormous amounts of work just processing what they're seeing. Adding a complex storyline on top of that isn't helping them. It's overwhelming them.
Picture books, on the other hand, have room for narrative. A beginning, a middle, an end. Characters who feel things and make choices. Subplots in the illustrations that a child can discover on the fifth or tenth reading. The text is longer and more sophisticated, often with rhythm and rhyme and humour that rewards repeated readings. I still have The Tiger Who Came to Tea memorised from reading it roughly four hundred times to my eldest.
Who Sneezed Glitter sits in picture book territory for exactly this reason. It's a proper story with a mystery to solve and silly moments to laugh at. Poppy gets frustrated, she investigates, she discovers something unexpected. That kind of arc needs space, which is why picture books tend to be 24 to 32 pages while board books often come in at 12 to 16.
The messy middle ground
Here's where it gets complicated, though. There's a stretch of time — usually somewhere between 18 months and three years — where a child's interests and their abilities don't quite line up. They want stories. They want to know what happens next. They point at pictures and ask "Why?" But they'll still rip a paper page if you're not careful.
This is the phase I had in mind with Count Along with Poppy. It's a board book, but it's got more of a narrative thread than Count to 10. Poppy counts things she finds on an adventure, which gives it a gentle throughline without making it complicated enough to lose a two-year-old. I wanted something that could bridge the gap — sturdy enough for small, rough hands, but with enough story to hold the attention of a child who's starting to want more than just labels and numbers.
A lot of publishers do this. You'll find simplified versions of popular picture stories printed on board pages for exactly this reason. The Dear Zoo board book is basically the same as the picture book version, just built to survive its audience.
If your child is in that in-between stage, don't feel like you have to pick one format exclusively. Most families end up with a mix, and that's fine. Board books in the pushchair, picture books at bedtime. Board books for independent page-turning practice, picture books for shared reading on the sofa.
When picture books are right
You'll know. Your child will start asking questions about what's happening in the pictures. They'll want to know why the character is sad, or what that thing in the corner is, or whether the dragon gets home safely. They'll start anticipating favourite bits — "The sneeze is coming, the sneeze is coming!" — and that's a sign that they're following a narrative, not just looking at images.
That's the moment. When a child is actively engaging with story rather than just responding to bright colours and familiar objects, they're ready for picture books.
A small warning, though: picture books at this stage are still a shared activity. Your child can't read them alone. They need you to turn the pages, to read the words, to point at things and ask questions. The book is a prop for a conversation between you and your child. That's what makes picture books so valuable, honestly. It's not just the story on the page. It's the twenty minutes of closeness and questions and silly voices.
What I'd suggest
If you've got a baby under 12 months, start with board books. Simple ones. High contrast images, basic concepts, short and repetitive text. Read them at whatever pace your baby tolerates, which might be thirty seconds before the book goes in their mouth. That's fine. That's how babies explore.
Between one and two, keep the board books going but start introducing more complex ones — counting books, books with simple storylines, books where they can lift flaps or touch textures. Count Along with Poppy was designed for exactly this window.
Around two to three, start mixing in picture books. Keep the board books around too. Let your child choose. You might be surprised — my youngest would request picture books at story time but still reach for the board books when playing alone. Different books for different moments.
And don't stress about it. There's no perfect schedule, no exact month where you must switch from one to the other. Children develop at their own pace. The best thing you can do is put books in front of them and read together as often as you can. The format matters less than the reading.
If you want to see how the Poppy books are structured across formats, they're all over on the books page. Poppy's been on quite a journey from board book counting to full picture book adventures, and I'm rather proud of how she's grown.