In a world where almost every kid is surrounded by technology and smartphones, it is your duty as a parent to imbibe the reading habit in them by reading the books yourself. Building the first library with the books for 1 year olds can seem daunting but it is those small steps that count.
Kids love colour and vibrant objects and that is exactly what you chose books for them should have. The last thing you want is to end up experiencing a roundabout of books with just text.
You want your kids to connect with the book and that is what we are going to help you with. Here, we are going to help you pick the best books for 1 year olds for an all around impact on them.
Best Rated Books For 1 Year Olds
Finding the top rated books for 1 year olds can be a tough task, mainly because you want to keep things fun and simple.
You want your kids to learn how to interact with vibrant colours and the pictures and illustrations that are on the books.
To help you pick out the best ones, we have made a list of the ones that will not just interest your kid but even let you connect and bond well with your kid.
1. Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
One of the evergreen books for newborn baby, the Goodnight Moon is a story about a little bunny who is tucked away in bed. The description of the room around with the dimly lit room, kittens and the mittens around along with the pictures of the bears set up against the wall, this is a book that your one year old is going to love being read to.
Why is it good for your kid?
The very first and possibly the most important reason why this is considered one of the best books for babies under 1 year is because of the vibrant illustrations.
The combination of the amazing art, wording as well as the amazing black and white themes inside the book is what makes it a steal.
If your kid is into bunnies, this is one of the books that they are going to love and engage well with. Given that the book was written over 60 years ago, you are assured of simplicity and very basic yet interesting illustrations on the book that your kid will engage well with.
It also teaches family values, ethics and helps kids and parents bond very well as well.
2. Baby Touch and Feel – Animals
One year old is the stage in a kid’s life where they start to well distinguish the feeling of touch and enhance their senses all throughout. If you have been on the lookout for the best touch and feel book for 1 year olds, the Baby Touch and Feel is possibly one of the best.
It is also a USA Today bestseller, so you know that other moms like you are advocating for this book.
Why is it good for your kid?
The entire book is filled with real life animals and come with beneficial touch and feels textures that are essential for your kid to engage well with. It also helps in letting the kids explore things around by themselves and even developing their fine motor skills.
The size of the book is also perfect for your little one to hold in their own hands and explore through the world of animals and feel them along the way. It also comes with a padded cover along with hardboard pages which ensures to withstand the biting of the kids too.
This will also help you familiarize your kid with the animal sounds and the animal recognition that you have been doing. It helps you imbibe better empathy in the kids for the animals too.
3. The Wonderful Things You Will Be by Emily Winfield Martin
Written by Emily Winfield Martin, The Wonderful Things You Will Be is one of the best books for 1 year olds that you can make them sit on your lap and read to them. It is a book filled with pictures depicting the celebration of dreams, acceptance and parental love.
Why is it good for your kid?
You will often find and come across a number of books that will leave you spellbound and this one is just one of them. The illustrations in the book are way too interactive and funny for your kid to look through. The additional rhymes nestled inside the pages further make it a good option to look into.
It engages your kid and lets them sense and take in the importance of parental love and why they are important to help gauge better understanding.
One of the reviewer of the book said that she was skeptical before buying the book because her daughter suffers from a severe chromosomal disorder. She thought “The Wonderful Things You Will Be” will depict the unrealistic career goals and the achievements that a kid could achieve later on in their life. Her thoughts were completely reversed once she got the book in her own hand.
The book takes you and your kid over an adventure of how to be kind, creative as well as adventurous through their life.
4. Dear Zoo: A Lift-the-Flap Book
The Dear Zoo: A Lift-the-Flap Book written by Rod Campbell is yet another one of the learning books for 1 year olds that is a must for your kid’s bookshelf. The interactive approach along with the life the flap activity is something that keeps your child engaged.
Why is it good for your kid?
If you have been on the lookout for a good touch and feel book for 1 year olds, this is most definitely one of the best ones available. It has a very simple illustration on it that comes along with “lift the flap” like design that you just can’t do without.
Additionally, the book is also quite amazing if you are trying to teach your kids about animal recognition and empathy towards animals and pets in general.
The book is also imbibed with some vibrant colours, fonts, and pictures that definitely do attract the attention of the kids who are learning with it.
5. Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andrae
The Giraffes Can’t Dance authored by Giles Andrae is yet another one of the amazing books for 1 year olds that you definitely need to add into your collection of the books for your kids without fail. It is mainly marketed for kids 4 years and above but your one year old is also going to find it interesting enough to reach back for more.
Why is it good for your kid?
The best thing about this specific book that makes it one of the top rated books for 1 year olds is because it is a board book that withstands the chewing and biting of the infants too. The story highlights the design that Gerald, the Giraffe has to dance and experience the fun that lies with the dancing form altogether.
Additionally, it teaches your kid that nothing is different when it comes round to achieving your dreams. Nothing is impossible if you are destined to achieve what you do want in your life through the stages of life.
The book is also integrated with light footed rhymes along with the colorful illustrations that further add to the overall fun and credibility of the book.
6. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
The Chicka Chicka Boom Boom is authored by Bill Martin Jr., John Archambault and the illustrations have been done by Lois Ehlert. It is one of the most popular books for your 1 year old kid if you want to indulge in teaching your kids about alphabets and such.
Why is it good for your kid?
The primary reason why your kids with love this is because of the fact that it comes along with a fun way to learn more about alphabets around. It includes the best way to handle the learning progress for your kids in the most fun way possible.
The board book is also illustrated with a story around how the alphabets do climb up along to the top of the coconut tree, finding a spot in the end or not?
They do come along more and more variations to the same because of the kind of popularity it binds along with it. The size and the rounded corners of the book further add into the excitement that you get with it.
7. The Pout-Pout Fish
The Pout-Pout Fish, written by Deborah Diesen and the pictures are from Dan Hanna is yet another one of the amazing ways to engage your child with the best interactive books for 1 year olds. The book is amazingly written with a lot of illustrations that you will find your kids adoring without fail.
Why is it good for your kid?
Apart from the fact that it will make you feel like a kid all over again, the main reason why it is such an amazing and top rated book for 1 year olds is because of the interactive illustrations that it has. It also helps familiarize them with fishes and the kind of structure and body shape they have, so that is an added bonus altogether.
Additionally, apart from being one of the best learning books for 1 year olds, it is also instilled with bright ocean colours as well as playful themes in the book which further attracts the attention of the child even more.
8. Where Is Baby’s Belly Button? A Lift-the-Flap Book
If you are on the lookout for cute and the best books for 1 year olds that help them interact well with the pictures, the Where Is Baby’s Belly Button? A Lift-the-Flap Book written by Karen Katz is one of the best available kid books that you need to add to the infant’s first library.
Why is it good for your kid?
This is mostly a playful and interactive book that your kids are going to love and adore. The peek-a-boo themed game type book is also quite interactive for the kids to play around with. If you have been on the lookout for good quality books to help your kids learn about the body parts, this is a good one to start with.
It can also be read to the kid in a playful manner which further enhances the overall credibility of the book even more. It is best suggested that you read the book to your one year old, other there are chances that they might end up ripping the flaps off of the book.
It is also an amazing babyshower gift too when you come to think of it.
9. Dr. Seuss’s Happy Birthday, Baby!
Just the name of the author should be enough for you to understand why Dr. Seuss’s Happy Birthday, Baby! It is one of the best books for babies under 1 year of age. For the most part, they are imbibed with a number of interactive activities inside that you can get your kids used to.
Why is it good for your kid?
If you have been on the lookout for the best touch and feel book for 1 year olds, this is most definitely one of the best options around for your kid. The entire book is filled with various activities where the kids can touch, flip, pull and spin that for you, can come a lot in handy.
The bright and vibrant colourful illustrations further keep your kids transfixed with the book and enhance their thought process through and through. If you have been struggling with the process of learning new things, it is important that you look through this book with your kid because they are definitely going to love this one.
The combination of the art and the frolicky rhymes further add to the fun that the book brings along for the kids. It is good for the development of the kids as well.
10. Little Blue Truck
An enchanting store of Blue, the Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle is yet another one of the must have books for 1 year olds that you need to add to their first library. Apart from the beautiful and fun story, it also has animals in them which is further amazing for your kid to learn about.
Why is it good for your kid?
As a mom, you want your kids to develop at their own pace but also push them towards things that enhance their capabilities through the process. The Little Blue Truck is just the perfect rendition for that and helps your kid have a fun time being read to.
Apart from the illustrations and the wordings, the book also contains a number of animals in them which is amazing to teach your kids about animal recognition as well. They take you back in a way that will help you gauge how you can unravel the rate of success even if the roads that lead to it are difficult.
This is also a great way to teach your kids about friendship and bonding well.
11. Now You Are One
This might seem a little extra for some but the Now You Are One by Minnie Birdsong is yet another one of the amazing books for newborn babies that can help you gauge their growth and development. When your kid turns one, don’t surprise them with a birthday card, choose a birthday book instead.
Why is it good for your kid?
Even though this book isn’t much of a readable one, this serves as a great reminder and memory for the kid when they grow older. Just under the flap, you can write in personalized messages and then, if required, read it out to your kid as well.
Apart from the basic personalized message, it also has adorable illustrations that your kids are going to love and cherish reading about. It also includes envelope and seal if you want to hide in further messages for the kids to read when they grow up.
12. ABC’s for Boys
Even though I don’t like with the stamp of the gender roles that the title of the book brings along, just cut the chase and read the ABC’s for Boys by Michael Kracht, irrespective of whether they are a girl or a boy.
Why is it good for you?
It might seem too early for you to start teaching your kids about alphabets but trust me, you can never be too late. It is best suggested that you start early so it is easier for the kids to pick on the diction and ease the process of learning for them as well.
It does come along with interesting and interactive illustrations which you can do to further add in better process of learning for them. It is also imbibed with further additions that could contribute to better growth and development for the child.
If your girl likes airplanes, dump trucks and more, get them this book even though the title suggests it is for the boys.
13. If Animals Kissed Good Night
This is possibly one of the cutest books for 1 year olds that I stumbled across. It is filled with some of the best illustrations and the narration through the stories of the If Animals Kissed Good Night by Ann Whitford Paul further makes you a gooey mess inside.
Why is it Good for Your Kid?
The primary reason why it is something that your 1 year old will love it because of the bright and colorful illustrations. It is also a good one because of the kind of interactive animal recognition process that you can do with it.
The narration through the story is quite adorable too, something that you definitely need to read out to your kid. It is possible that they might not get it just yet but it is actually a good option to get them used to it.
How to Choose The Best Books For One Year Olds?
It is possible that your kids might not like reading books but instilling that habit in them is something that is completely in your hands.
While choosing a book, there are certain key factors that one needs to keep into consideration that will end up playing a very crucial role through the process of learning and development in the kid.
If you have been struggling to assort yourself through with a buying guide, follow the pointers we mention.
While Buying, Keep These in Mind:
- The book needs to be interactive and more filled with illustrations that with the text
- Look for the hardcover or the board books that are tough and are resistant to biting that the 1 year olds often tend to struggle with
- Make sure that you do indulge in creating better impacts on your reading skills because the way you read matters too
- Get the touch and feel books more
- Look for the reviews before purchasing the books
How to Read Books to Your 1 Year Old Baby?
When it comes to reading books to your kids, it is very important to ensure that you look through the possible impacts that one has in and around with the process.
If you are new to this, chances are that you will need some sheer changes to the process.
- You polish your skills along the way.
- While reading to your kid, keep these in mind:
- Read to them by placing them on your lap and keeping the book in front
- Be enthusiastic while reading and don’t read just for the sake of it
- Bring forth better skills to your voice modulation
- Do hand gestures to make the kids learn through that as well
- If you are doing animal recognition, do sounds of the animals too
- Engross yourself in the character you are narrating out
When it comes to the best books for 1 year olds, the options are quite extensive. Here, we have suggested you with just the top 13 ones on the list. If you are well interested, it is important that you get more to fill in your kid’s first library.
