A tiny cover image doesn't tell you how a book will feel across your lap. Two familiar titles can arrive as rather different objects, and that matters when one is meant for a bag, another for reading on the sofa, and another for the bath.
Before comparing prices, we'd spend a moment with the format. “Board book” tells you about the pages, but it doesn't settle the size, language or edition.
Small board book or larger lap edition?
Our Dinosaur Dance! is a 16-page English board book. Pajama Time! is a 24-page English oversized lap board-book edition. The larger format is part of what you're choosing with Pajama Time!, even if you already know the story from a smaller copy.
An adult may like having a larger page to hold open and show. That same book asks for more space on a shelf or in a bag. Picture the place where it will be read, and look at the dimensions rather than letting the cover thumbnail make the decision for you.
For a gift, asking which edition is already at home can save an accidental duplicate. If the larger copy is the reason you've chosen it, say that in your note; it's a useful detail for the person opening the package.
Bath books have a different job
Bath Time! is a waterproof story about a painted pig getting clean, with a squeaking snout feature. Barnyard Bath! is also waterproof and comes with a washcloth. The animal cast and included features give you something concrete to compare between the two.
Ordinary board pages aren't waterproof just because they're sturdy. Keep those books for dry reading, and keep the bath book's own use and care instructions with it. Our bath-book guide goes further into that choice and the care of the format.
One last look at the actual copy
Check the full title, language, binding and dimensions together. Page counts can vary between editions, and an accessory shown with one version may not tell you what's included with another. The exact book in the order is the one that matters.
You can compare our copies in the Sandra Boynton collection. For another physical feature to think about, our interactive-book comparison looks at textures and page openings alongside pretend activities in print.
If you're reading with a baby, the shared-reading and baby-play guide begins with the adult holding the book. That can help bring the format question back to an ordinary moment: where you'll sit, how you'll show the picture and which page you might spend a little longer with.
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