An official website of the United States government
CDC’s Amazing Books for Children
Children’s Books
- Information for families from CDC
- What to do if you’re concerned about your child’s development
Talk, read, sing and play with your child every day. CDC’s amazing books can help! Baby’s Busy Day (Un día ocupado del bebé, en Español), Where is Bear? (¿Dónde Está Osito?, en Español), and Amazing Me (Soy Maravilloso, en Español), are fun for children and show you what to look for as your child grows.
Baby’s Busy Day – Being One is So Much Fun!
Meet Baby, a one-year-old puppy who is having a very busy day! Follow along as Mom, Dad, and Sis engage Baby throughout his day while encouraging his development along the way! As you read this fun story with your little one, keep an eye out for the paw prints to learn what one-year-old milestones to look for in your baby’s development, and the hearts for tips on how you can help!
Download the book as a PDF:
Click here to find:
- A free tool to track your child’s development, CDC’s Milestone Tracker app
- A full list of 1-year-old milestones
Where is Bear? – A Terrific Tale for 2-Year-Olds
“Where is Bear?” is a terrific tale for 2-year-old children and their parents! This interactive book encourages children to help Tiger and his forest friends in their search to find Bear. Parents, with each turn of the page, your child will get closer to finding him and you will learn about many important milestones to look for in your child. Look for the leaf at the bottom of each page and your own 2-year-old’s milestone moments!
Download the book as a PDF:
Be sure to review the milestone checklist and helpful parenting tips at the end of the book or click below to find:
Amazing Me – It’s Busy Being 3!
Meet Joey, an amazing 3-year-old kangaroo who is very excited about all he can do now that he is three. Joey doesn’t know it, but these amazing things are called developmental milestones, and they’re a very important part of each child’s growth.
Parents, this book for children ages 2-3 will show you what to look for as your child grows and develops. Whether you read this story to your child online or have a hard copy of the book, ask your child to find the koala bears. Each page with a koala bear also has a star and milestone at the bottom just for you. See if your 3-year-old is able to do some of the same things as Joey.
Download the book as a PDF
Order Amazing Me – It’s Busy Being 3!
Click here to find:
- Amazing Me coloring pages [381 KB, 6 Pages, Print Only]
- Amazing Me as a FREE iBook for iPad
- How you can help your child’s development [5 MB, 24 Pages, 508]
- A full list of 3-year-old milestones
Book Partners:
Meet Our Authors and Illustrators!
- Allison Valentine (illustrator of Amazing Me!, Baby’s Busy Day, and Where is Bear?) Allison Valentine, artist and illustrator, spends her time creating fun and colorful artwork. She has illustrated numerous children’s books including the CDC’s other two children’s books, “Where is Bear?” and “Amazing Me!”. She resides in Connecticut with her husband, two young daughters, dog and three cats – all of whom provide endless inspiration for her art.
- Anne Harrell M.Ed., LPC, NCC, BC-DMT (author of Baby’s Busy Day) As a Child Development Specialist, a Licensed Professional Counselor, a National Certified Counselor, and a Board Certified Dance-Movement Therapist, Ann has worked in clinical, educational, and private practice settings—always with the goal of advocating for the needs of children and parents. Now as a published author, Ann is happy to share another way to help families learn and grow.
- Julia Cook (co-author of Amazing Me!) Julia Cook is well-recognized as a national award-winning children’s book author who has presented in more than 600 schools across the country, regularly delivers keynote addresses at national education and counseling conferences, and already has 19 published children’s books. The goal behind all of Julia’s books and efforts is to actively involve young people with her fun and creative stories. Inspirations for her books come from working with children and carefully listening to parents and teachers.
- Laura A. Jana, MD (co-author of Amazing Me!) Laura Jana is a nationally recognized pediatrician, parenting expert, and the award-winning author of Heading Home with Your Newborn (AAP, 2nd Ed., 2010) and Food Fights (AAP, 2007). She now serves as a media spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics, blogs for the Omaha World-Herald and WebMD, and is an expert consultant. She is the owner of Primrose School of Legacy – a 200-student educational child-care center – and the proud mother of three. As a longstanding advocate for early literacy, she is excited to add published children’s book author to her list of professional endeavors.
- Libby Martinez (author of Where is Bear?) Libby Martinez is an award-winning Latina children’s book author and poet. She is the co-author of I Pledge Allegiance (Knopf/Random House), which was recognized as the Best Children’s Picture Book (2015) by the Texas Institute of Letters and the International Latino Book Awards. Libby is also the co-author of Bravo, Chico Canta! Bravo! (Groundwood Books), which was a Junior Library Guild Selection (Spanish Edition) and appeared on National Public Radio’s Diverse Summer Reading List for Kids.
- Teresa Mlawer (Spanish adaptation of Baby’s Busy Day) Teresa Mlawer is one of the most recognized and respected women in the Hispanic publishing industry. A frequent presenter at global industry conferences and events, Teresa was recently chosen one of the “Top 50 People in Spanish-Language Publishing” by an international network of publishing professionals. A leader in bringing books in Spanish to the United States, Teresa Mlawer has translated over 300 children’s books for publishers in the US and overseas.