Discover how a board book differs from a hardcover book, with visual examples and guidance on when to make that switch!!
Material Difference
Board books are made from thick and durable paperboard, and as such their pages are much thicker than those of traditional hardcover books.
Paperboard is kind of like cardboard, and can be made from a mixture of pulp, wood, and other sturdy materials. Any true “board book”, from the cover, to the pages, is going to be made from this material.
They’re made with paperboard because they’re designed for smaller hands and kids with less developed cognitive abilities. Turning a big, thick page is much easier than having to sift through a thinner, traditional type of page and flip it.
Ultimately, the thicker “board” style pages are key to a successful storytime with younger readers. It helps them achieve that sense of accomplishment by physically turning the page. And it’s never too early to instill a love of reading in them!
These days, Dog Man is all the rage, and these would be considered hardcover books suitable for slightly older readers. In this image below, we can see the traditional ‘hard cover’ of the Dog Man book, with more realistic, thinner pages inside.
Age Difference
As we touched on previously, board books are designed for very early readers. They’re the first type of book you should give to a young toddler when they’re discovering reading, because both the material and content is going to be suitable for kids aged 0-4, and of course, durable!
You can gift a board book to an expecting mother for a baby shower, knowing that the book will be able to hold up to any spills, spits, or accidents that babies and toddlers are typically prone to!
If you are planning to gift a board book, read our thorough list of suggestions for what to write in a baby shower book!
Hardcover books are generally intended for older children who can comfortably hold them, turn the pages, and engage with the content by themselves (we’ll touch on that next.)
Content Difference
As board books are intended for very small children, the content will mostly be made up of pictures with a line or two of words on each page. This makes it very easy to follow, and the vivid images will keep younger readers engaged.
Examples of famous board books are The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and The Tale of Peter Rabbit. Those are some real classics and were bestselling board books for my old company when I worked in publishing! (See how lovely our Peter Rabbit board book looked below.)
Hardcover books signal the next step up in your child’s reading journey. A good way to think of this difference is a hardcover book like The Tiger Who Came to Tea. This is a really popular book with children in their first few years of school.
What Age Do You Transition from Board Books?
There’s no hard and fast rule, but generally once your children are capable of reading by or to themselves, you can ditch the traditional boardbook for the more detailed hardcovers.
It’s important to consider not only their reading ability but their ability to hold the book and turn the pages when you’re looking at transitioning. Hardcover books will be more challenging for younger readers, but if we know anything about readers, it’s that they love a challenge!