We often think that it’s either too early or too late to start reading books to our babies.
However, there is never too early, and 1-year-olds are never too young for books. Babies learn and memorize a lot more when they are quite young. You will notice that they will soon use the words you read out to name the objects or express their feelings.
Finding books that meet their interest can be a struggle. To make it easier, we got you covered with a list of 10 must-have books for 1-year-olds.
1. First Hundred Words
by Roger Priddy
Roger Priddy’s First Hundred Words features 100 pictures of the most common words for toddlers.
This makes it an ideal choice for children to learn new words.
You can point to pictures and read the books to babies which will improve their memorization.
In time, children will learn the names of objects and easily memorize objects by sight.
If you want a book that’s great to build your one-year-old’s vocabulary, and speech, this book is a perfect starter to go with!
2. Moo Baa La La La
by Sandra Boynton
Toddlers love the animals they see around and are always interested to know more.
Moo Baa La La La by Sandra Boynton makes it easier for one-year-olds to identify animals thanks to the book mimicking animal sounds.
Teach your child how a cow moos, or how sheep baa with this interesting book.
The artist in Sandra Boynton has made it a point to make it interesting so that children can laugh their hearts out and learn how different animals sound.
3. Goodnight Moon
by Margaret Wise Brown
Even though the book had its first edition published long back in 1947, it remains a popular choice.
Especially for toddlers in the age group of 0 – 1 year-olds. Margaret Wise Brown’s ingenuity has made this a timeless classic lullaby for children to fall asleep into.
Not only that, but the book also introduces the names of objects, animals, the room, and the moon.
If you have a toddler who refuses to go to sleep at night, this book can be the perfect lullaby that will soothe them to sleep.
4. The Wonderful Things You Will Be
by Emily Winfield Martin
The Wonderful Things You Will Be by Emily Winfield Martin is a beautiful book that’s full of wonderful illustrations and positivity.
This makes it ideal for parents to share with their children.
Even though the book celebrates the idea of the love parents have for their kids, the book features graphics and drawings that can easily draw the attention of one-year-olds.
It is also one book that you can read over and over again without feeling bored.
Children will love it when you read this book as a bedtime story!
5. Peek-A Who
by Nina Laden
Peek-A Who is one of the most interactive children’s books you will come across in our collection.
Even though the book is just a few pages in length, it can keep your toddler engaged throughout as they attempt to guess what comes on the next page.
The puzzle-like book hides the character on the next page and only reveals clues.
What follows next page is an interesting reveal like “Peek a Moo” for cow, “Peek a Boo” for Ghost, and so on.
On the last page, there is a surprise for the parents, and fun for the one-year-olds.
6. Hop on Pop
by Dr. Seuss
If you have a one-year-old that is not interested in sitting down and listening to a story, then Hop on Pop is perfect for you!
The book is full of rhyming words and easy to read.
What’s even better is that children from the age of one can easily learn and read the words or at least mumble the words and improve their memorization.
Dr. Seuss has crafted a book that will help children naturally fall in love with reading from day one.
If you want to imprint the joy of reading or introduce your toddler to the wonderful world of books, this is one book that we highly recommend.
7. Where Is Baby’s Belly Button
by Karen Katz
Babies love playing peek-a-boo!
When it comes to Where is Baby’s Belly Button it has the perfect combination of fun, engagement, and of course educational information.
Ideal for any toddler who is above 6 months old, there is a baby that hides some part of their body and asks a question.
The peek-a-boo style is reflected with clues on one page and the answer on the next page.
Just make sure that your babies don’t tear off the flap while changing pages.
8. Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes
by Mem Fox
Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes by Mem Fox is a beautiful rhyming story about babies, presented with amazing illustrations and an engaging format.
It opens up and introduces children to different places and cultures.
The non-linear narrative of the book makes it a must-buy as it educates the children in a simple, yet very unobtrusive, and non-lecturing way.
Beautiful illustrations of babies, along with simple rhyming structure makes this an absolute pleasure to read with your child.
9. Do Cows Meow? A Lift-the-Flap Book
by Salina Yoon
One-year-olds love imitating what they hear.
Do Cows Meow by Salina Yoon picks up on this interesting fact by offering a book that features all kinds of animal sounds.
The book follows a simple, rhythmic pattern with a lift-the-flap structure that reveals a new animal sound with every new page.
The list of animals featured in the book range from sheep, to duck, frog, cats, and many more.
At the end of the book, there is an option for children to go back towards any animal, hear their sound or choose to say all the animal sounds again.
10. The Very Hungry Caterpillar
by Eric Carle
Yet another timeless classic which was first published in 1969, The Very Hungry Caterpillar follows the journey of a very hungry caterpillar.
The story starts with the hungry caterpillar’s adventure to find food to eat, and eventual evolution into a butterfly.
Even though the evolution of animals is a very advanced topic, Eric Carle’s narration makes it feel like a natural progression and children understand at ease how a caterpillar becomes a butterfly.
The storytelling nature of this book makes it a good starter to introduce children into the world of reading books.