21 Books Perfect for 1 Year Olds

Written By Ashley McCargish

 

“Read to him” it’s what the doctor told me when I asked her what I could do to help my child at EVERY doctor’s well check we’ve ever been to. As a teacher with over 10 years of experience, I already knew that and have probably given countless parents over the years the exact same advice.

 

In fact, I knew it so much that I was reading to him up to 15 or more books a day since the day he’s been born. He has always loved books, I honestly can’t remember a time he’s not wanted me to read to him.

 

Why is Reading so Important?

 

There are a LOT of reasons why doctors and teachers give this advice all the time! We all know reading is important but did you know that by the end of Kindergarten according to the Common Core Standards children are expected to know to follow print on a page from left to right, that letters make words, and words with spaces in between put together can make a sentence? They are also expected to be able to read common high-frequency words (I, me, my, and, etc.) and put together letter sounds to read words.

 

The truth is the more your child has been read to and has exposure to literature before Kindergarten the better off they will be when they are expected to show that they know each of these concepts. You can read more about the Common Core Standards here.

 

According to the Reading Foundation (a company devoted to helping families, parents, and children have success in school & in reading), “Children need to enter school with basic reading, math, social and emotional skills. From birth to age 5, when a child’s brain develops rapidly, is the time to build the foundation of cognitive abilities and character. These early skills are necessary for success in school, health, career, and life.” You can read more about their program here.

 

Now we know why reading is SO important and why we are always hearing about how we should do it EVERYDAY with our littles. So what do you do when your little one is BUSY?! That is what I was faced with, with my younger child. He did not have time for me to read to him.

 

In this post you will learn about books that are PERFECT for 1 Year Olds.

 

But finally around 13 or 14 months I have finally found his niche! I have finally found the perfect ways to get him to sit with me to read and in fact today he brought me well over 8 books on his own to be read to! Let’s have a look at the books he is willing to let me read to him, and actually BRINGS me to read to him!

   

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DK Baby Touch and Feel, Colors

 

This is one of the first books that my younger son ever attached to. It is short, it is touch and feel, and full of bright colors. It does not have many words on each page so every time I read it I make sure to read using complete sentences (even though they aren’t necessarily on the page). They are a very popular set of books and small enough for the diaper bag!

   

DK Baby Night Night!

 

This book is full of fun lift the flaps, bright pictures, and there aren’t many words on each page! This is one that I regularly get told “again, again” after each time he hears it. There are several of these in the series.

   

DK Baby Beep! Beep!

 

Continuing on with the same series, Baby Beep! Beep! is also one of the first books to catch my little guy’s attention! Maybe because it was a gift from his Grandma and I was excited to have a new baby book to read him. I started reading this one to him around 6 months and it wasn’t until around 13-14 months that it paid off and he started paying more attention to the book without squirming to get down. It is full of vehicles and the sounds that they make!

   

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Puppet Book

 

These cute little puppet books are great for 1-year-olds! They love interacting with them, reaching to touch the puppet, and feeling the different textures. We have several in the series including Daddy & Me, Old McDonald has a Farm, Humpty Dumpty Sat on a Wall, and 5 Little Monkeys. My son will give them some attention because they are short and the puppet adds an extra bit of surprise.

   

Busy & Bright Baby Hat Socks Shoes

 

This is a TOP favorite, so much it’s in the book hospital at our home! Busy & Bright Baby is short, predictable, bright in colors, and has fun lift the flaps. It isn’t written in a full sentence but I always read it to him with full sentences. It has great pictures with labels and I always make sure to show him on himself where they would go for example, “sandals go on your feet (touch your feet) and a hat goes on your head (where is your head?).”

   

Lift the Flap First 100 Words

 

This book is super interactive with our little ones! It has 70 or more lift-the-flaps! It has bright colorful pages and shows a lot of words and pictures on each page. Each page is dedicated to being full of colors, numbers, food, vehicles, wild animals, pets, and more! Your child will have so much lifting the flaps to see what is underneath.

   

Where’s the Giraffe? By: Nosy Crow and Ingela P Arrhenius

 

The first book in this series we were gifted for Christmas by my sister-in-law. It was one of the first books I could get my younger guy to sit and look at. It is full of soft felt lift the flaps‚ that easily move. It’s a short book and overall pretty predictable. This makes it perfect for little ones. It’s a fun surprise for them even if they know what is coming.

   

DK Baby Loves Peekaboo: Bedtime

 

My mom first gifted my older son books in this series when he was a baby. I can’t begin to count the number of times we have read these books! They have lift-the-flaps and touch and feel. They are the perfect combination of predictability and just enough suspense to keep his attention!

   

DK Baby Loves Peekaboo

 

This is the same series as the previous book. Peekaboo is a favorite game for 1 year olds and this book just adds in the perfect amount of sensory to go with it.

   

I Love Colors By Margaret Miller

 

We were gifted this book at one of my son’s first well checks & I can read this book through without even seeing the pages! It is simple but FULL of babies, faces, and colors. This book doesn’t have lift the flaps or touch and feel but it has been a favorite of both of my boys.

   

Ten in The Bed By Penny Dale

 

This book is a classic and one of the only “classics” on this list. My kids love this for the rhythm it provides & the great Onomatopoeia! You’ll have fun reading this book and putting expression into the characters when they fall out of bed with a boink, ouch!, or bonk!

   

Poke-a-Dot Old McDonald had a Farm By Melissa and Doug

 

We were given this book at Christmas and it’s quickly become a favorite! My kids love Melissa and Doug products and this book is no different! Who doesn’t love popping bubble wrap?! This book provides all of that sensory into one fun book! You’ll also get to teach your kids numbers and counting along the way!

   

DK ABC book

 

I picked this book up on clearance at T.J. Max when my older son was 1 & it instantly became a favorite. I’m saying we read this book more times in 1 day than I can count. By the time he was 2, he was “reading” this book on his own! It is simply a book with each letter on its own page and 6-10 items pictured that start with that letter. It is great for expanding vocabulary, creating conversation, and lettering identification.

   

Under the Sea Touch and Feel

 

We gifted this book to our one year old on his birthday and it has been a hit since! It engages different senses, introduces different textures, and helps support different vocabulary to help expand describing words.

   

Who Wears What?

 

This adorable book is short, simple, and full of fun touch and feel! It is great for captivating their attention with a book, introduces animals, and is great for discussing body (and animal) parts! We will often show our son where the bear wears a hat on his head and now our son will point to his head when we ask.

   

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: 12 Board Books

 

I bought these books for our older son to take with us to Disney World. They were perfect for pulling out on the bus or letting him hold them through the park in the stroller. Each of the books is a board book and half of them teach skills like color, sizes, or shapes. The rest of them give short stories. Either way both of my boys at the age of 1 have gravitated towards these books!

   

Potty By: Leslie Patricelli

 

I first got this book for my son when he was starting to potty train around the age of 2. It quickly became a favorite! There aren’t many words that allow for the parent or caretaker to get creative with the storyline. I think that is part of the fun that it has the ability to be a different book each time it’s read. But now it’s in my 1 year old’s room and is quickly becoming a favorite of his as well. I am all for him learning about the potty even if he isn’t ready to use it yet himself.

   

Moo Moo, Guess Who?

 

This book was gifted to my son for Christmas and has all their favorite characters! It is a simple lift the flap book that helps encourage identifying farm animals & the sounds that they make.

   

Where is Baby’s Belly Button? By: Karen Katz

 

This book by Karen Kratz is a MUST for any baby! It is a fun lift the flap book that uses baby faces to teach about different body parts. Both of my children have loved this book from an early age because of the pictures of other babies and the bright colors!

   

How Does Baby Feel? By: Karen Katz

 

I love this book and because it features babies as the characters, my kids have loved it at an early age as well! It is the perfect opportunity to introduce your child to feelings and emotions. In this book they’ll learn that they can have different feelings which is okay and normal. It also allows you to have these conversations with them at an early age.

   

The Going to Bed Book By: Sandra Boynton

 

If you don’t already you need to have some Sandra Boynton in your at-home library! This book is perfect to start if you need one. It is full of rhyme & rhythm. It also helps teach kids about a bedtime routine.

   

There you have my TOP books for 1-year-olds! These are the tried and true books that both of my boys have loved at this age! If you have a busy baby that struggles to sit for a book or doesn’t have time to listen to a story, I’d love to know if you have tried any of these books. Additionally please let me know your 1-year-olds favorite books! I’d love to know more!

 

Love, Ashley E