Alex 
. . . because it is!
Even if it’s not your birthday, maybe you will find a book here that will make the perfect gift for someone in your life. Or perhaps you’d just like to read them and pretend it’s your birthday! (lol)
Of course, there is a metric ton of birthday books out there—so in an effort to avoid spending the entire day writing, I’ve just rounded up my absolute favorites for now . . .
Ages 0-3
(from left)
🍰 My First Birthday, ISBN-13: 9780824919993
A simple, colorful board book perfect for a first-birthday gift.
🍰 DK Baby Touch and Feel: Happy Birthday! ISBN-13: 9781465414311
Similar to My First Birthday, this book has the added bonus of a touch-and-feel component, as well as being suitable for children older than one. By one of my favorite publishers, to boot!
🍰 Let’s Bake a Cake! ISBN-13: 9791027601400
This interactive, lift-the-flaps board book allows children to follow the steps of baking a cake, such as cracking eggs, stirring the batter, and decorating the finished product!
🍰 How Do Dinosaurs Say Happy Birthday? by Jane Yolen & Mark Teague, ISBN-13: 9780545153539
I’m in love with the How Do Dinosaurs Say? series, for the crafty way they encourage good behavior, their eye-catching art, and the hidden dinosaur names on every page. This birthday-themed entry will be a hit with dinosaur-obsessed children, and is also available in a hardcover format for older kids.
Ages 1-4
(from left)
🍰 Where’s the Party? by Ruth Chan ISBN-13: 9781626722699
I was so charmed by this book when it first came into the bookstore that I knew immediately Ruth Chan was a genius. The story follows a party-loving cat named Georgie, who wakes up one day and decides this is the day to throw a rager! But all of his friends give increasingly weak excuses as to why they can’t come, and eventually a crestfallen Georgie returns home . . . to discover that perhaps his friends were doing a little party-planning of their own! (Warning: you may cry at the image of Georgie sitting alone on a front stoop, but it is worth it for the party payoff.)
🍰 Spring Story, by Jill Barklem ISBN-13: 9780001839229
The Brambly Hedge series is one of my favorites, and this seasonal tale follows the entire community of mice as they prepare for Wilfred’s birthday picnic. Barklem’s illustration are breathtakingly gorgeous, and the world is so picturesque that you’re likely to find yourself wishing you were a tiny mouse living in a crabapple tree—at least for your birthday.
🍰 Hazel and Twig: The Birthday Fortune, by Brenna Burns Yu ISBN-13: 9780763689704
And speaking of Brambly Hedge, I immediately felt that this picture book about a lovely Korean birthday tradition shared the best qualities of the older series; Yu’s artwork is equally gentle and rich, and her mouse protagonists work together to prepare for Twig’s first birthday celebration.
🍰 The Best Birthday Present Ever! by Ben Mantle, ISBN-13: 9781454918462
I’m going to be completely honest here—I bought this book for the endpapers. (Seriously, they’re really cute.) But the book itself is just as wonderful, following Squirrel as he finds the perfect birthday present for his best friend—and worries that everyone else’s fancy gifts are nicer. (Spoiler alert: Bear loves his the most.)
Ages 4+
(from upper-left, clockwise)
🍰 When’s My Birthday? by Julie Fogliano & Christian Robinson ISBN-13: 9781626722934
The perfect duo, poet Fogliano and artist Robinson have created a book for every child who has been overcome with excitement for their birthday (and for the parents who are tired of hearing, “is it my birthday yet?”) Whimsical and fun, this picture book is suited for a birthday—or the weeks leading up to one.
🍰 When Grandma Gives You a Lemon Tree, by Jamie L. B. Deenihan & Lorraine Rocha ISBN-13: 9781454923817
This bright and hilarious story reminds children that you don’t always get what you want for your birthday—sometimes you get something even better.
🍰 How to Have a Birthday, by Mary Lyn Ray & Cindy Derby ISBN-13: 9781536207415
A gorgeous, contemplative recent title that explores just what exactly it means to be a year older.
🍰 If You Had Your Birthday Party on the Moon, by Joyce Lapin & Simona Ceccarelli, ISBN-13: 9781454929703
For all the science-lovers in your life, this “non-fiction” title imagines what a birthday party on the moon might be like—which is to say, fun!
🍰 If a T. Rex Crashes Your Birthday Party, by Jill Esbaum & Dasha Tolstikova, ISBN-13: 9781454915508
Another fanciful birthday hypothetical, this title combines the always-popular and hilarious T. Rex with an emotionally-intelligent takeaway, perfectly complemented by Tolstikova’s quirky illustrations.
