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Best Books

The 15 best books for 1 year olds (2023 buying guide)

written by DaddiLife 29th November 2020
best books for one year old, one year old books, great books for babies, best books for 1 year old

Updated 30th December 2021.

Why is it important to read to your one-year-old? Partly, it’s because reading to kids at any age is good for them and good for you. As children’s author Hilary Robinson told DaddiLife: “Reading together is an essential part in helping to encourage a love of stories and of later independent reading. It helps to develop comprehension, nurture empathy and language development – children hear words and use them in conversation.”

But - while reading to children of any age is good - reading to one year olds has specific benefits. So in this guide you'll learn about what to consider when buying the best books for one year olds, as well as our reviews for 15 of the very best for you to buy and enjoy together.

Table of contents
Why is reading to your one year important?
What to consider when buying books for one-year-olds
The 15 best books for one year olds
   1.    Where's Mr Duck?
   2.    First Words 
   3.    Where’s Spot?
   4.    Busy Busy Town
   5.    Little Avocados Big Adventure
   6.    Baby Shark Book
   7.     Dear Zoo
   8.    The Very Hungry Caterpillar
   9.     Guess How Much I Love You
   10.   Welcome to the World
   11.    My First Gruffalo Little Library
   12.    Paddington Little Library 
   13.    That’s Not My Robin
   14.    The Twinkly Twinkly Bedtime Book 
   15.     Winter Wonderland Sound Book
How to read to a one year old
Dad stories - reading to one year olds.

Why is reading to your one year important?


According to one study, both the quality and quantity of shared book reading in infancy predicted later childhood vocabulary, reading skills, and name writing ability. The earlier you start, in other words, the better the outcomes for your child.

It’s not just about the act of reading though, it’s also about what you read. Lisa Scott, associate professor in Psychology at the University of Florida, has studied the effects different books have on infants. She concludes that, “to reap the benefits of shared book reading during infancy, we need to be reading our little ones the right books at the right time.” It's similar in principle to what to look for in buying the best gifts for one year olds.


What to consider when buying books for one-year-olds


Best books for one year olds, what to consider for one year old books

Lisa’s research found a specific difference between books that label characters and those that don’t. Put simply, in children up to one, it seems that books with colorful characters that are named promote more cognitive activity than those with generic characters. So books featuring a character called Larry the Lion might be better for infant development than books that simply feature a lion.

We don’t know why that might be, but we can take a guess. Calling a lion Larry is just more fun, and might promote more expressiveness in the mother or father on reading duty. Your enjoyment also might be infectious, making the whole session more memorable for your baby (if you have baby books that don’t name characters, that’s fine - just name them yourself!).

Whatever it is, it seems to work. Lisa states: “For infants, finding books that name different characters may lead to higher-quality shared book reading experiences and result in the learning and brain development benefits we find in our studies.”

But it might not be the naming itself that promotes these benefits, but the fact that colourful characters get parents talking, and talking seems to be key. Talking to babies helps their development. Books that encourage parents to talk through pictures or explain simple actions or events might be especially worthwhile for babies around one year of age. Beyond just the talking there's a few other factors to consider:

  •  1: Learning about shapes and colours. Reading to one-year-olds is a great way for them to learn about shape, colour, and concepts like up and down, and inside and outside. Colour is especially important in books for this age group. Infants are drawn to bright, strong colours and, according to colour experts, “early identification of colours helps to create the cognitive link between visual clues and words.” Strong, colourful patterns in books may also provide stimulation for developing brains.
  •  2: Developing fine motor skills. Books designed for babies are also designed to be touched and handled (they’re often made of tough board, and include physical features like flaps and holes), helping develop fine motor skills in hands and fingers and hand-eye coordination.


The 15 best books for one year olds


   1.    Where's Mr Duck?

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Editors Review

“Bright, colorful illustrations, sturdy felt flaps and a mirror on the final page make this an excellent choice for your one-year-old as they explore the world around them.”


Join Mr Duck on his journey round the pond, and discover lots of other friendly animals hidden behind bright felt flaps.

HIGHLIGHTS?

  • There’s a whole series of similar books and we love the way this one in particular encourages touch and discovery.
  • The mirror at the end is a nice touch, too. Babies love staring at themselves!

ANY ISSUES?

  • There’s a lot of physical interaction with this book so it might get thrown around a bit. But it feels nice and sturdy.


   2.    First Words 

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Editors Review

“Bright, obvious illustrations, hidden surprises and simple sentences make understanding easy."


Learning can be fun, and this sturdy board book introduces your infant to 10 common words, like dog, cat, ball and bug. Lifting flaps helps fine tune those developing motor skills too.

HIGHLIGHTS?

  • Reading anything to a one-year-old is an exercise in learning, but this book feels like you’re getting a head start with simple word identification and even sentence structure.

ANY ISSUES?

  • One or two odd sentences: “The shoes love the socks.”


   3.    Where’s Spot?

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Editors Review

“Babies love searching for adorable Spot, and have done for 40 years! The surprises along the way and eventual pay-off (spoiler alert: you find Spot!) make this a great read.”

 

A reissue of a children’s classic: lift the flaps and uncover surprises before finally finding where cheeky Spot has been hiding.

HIGHLIGHTS?

  • Eric Hill’s beautiful illustrations bring Spot to life.
  • It's a real baby book classic and one that will last in the home for a while.

ANY ISSUES?

  • Reviews state that the flaps can be a bit stiff on first try, so you may need to loosen them out a bit.


   4.    Busy Busy Town

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Editors Review

“There’s just so much going on and so many places to visit - it seems like there’s something else to find every time your baby opens the book.”


Join a cast of colourful animal characters as they show you everything that goes on in a town just like yours.

HIGHLIGHTS?

  • Great illustrations throughout the book. 
  • A lovely flow as your child discovers all the different jobs that keep a community going.

ANY ISSUES?

  • The big busy pages can feel a bit too busy. Many babies will love it, some might not.


   5.    Little Avocados Big Adventure

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Editors Review

“There’s a very cute avocado finger puppet attached to the back cover, so you can play out the scenes in the book and even create new ones of your own."


An avocado (because even hipsters have children) goes on an adventure in this quirky rhyming story.

HIGHLIGHTS?

  • We found that the finger puppet sparks creativity and allows grown ups to really join in the fun, delighting their tiny audience.

ANY ISSUES?

  • The ‘adventure’ isn’t the most memorable, but with the finger puppet parents can add to it in any way they like.


   6.    Baby Shark Book

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Editors Review

“Like the Little Avocado's book, it also features a fun finger puppet toy built into the book. This is great for parents who want to tell the story in their own inimitable style, but also great for kids’ coordination and fine motor skills."


Another finger puppet book, but this time set to the worldwide hit song!

HIGHLIGHTS?

  • Finger puppets are a hit with one-year-olds.
  • We loved this underwater adventure.

ANY ISSUES?

  • The Baby Shark song can (to put it mildly) start to grate on you after repeated singing.


   7.     Dear Zoo

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Editors Review

"This children’s classic will keep your baby guessing till the last page. Great illustrations, thick pages and sturdy flaps."


The Zoo keeps sending the wrong pet - we can’t look after a lion, a monkey and an elephant! Will they get it right this time?

HIGHLIGHTS?

  • It’s all about repetition, but when you’ve read it a few times your child will start joining in with animal sounds and the refrain that ends every page. 
  • An interactive gem.

ANY ISSUES?

  • It’s quite a big book, so not the easiest for small children to handle themselves.


   8.    The Very Hungry Caterpillar

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Editors Review

"It’s the Very Hungry Caterpillar - enough said. (OK, it’s a classic, beautifully illustrated, great layout, and there are holes in the pages that the caterpillar has eaten through!)"


A caterpillar eats his way through a mountain of food before...well, that would be telling.

HIGHLIGHTS?

  • Parents will love it for the nostalgia. Infants will love it for the adorable caterpillar who gets to munch away at a range of enticing treats.

ANY ISSUES?

  • This version, one of many, is quite small. But that’s a minor quibble. The book was first published in 1969 and kids love it today, so it’s stood the test of time.


   9.     Guess How Much I Love You

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Editors Review

"It’s a simple, gentle, peaceful story that ends with Little Nutbrown Hare fast asleep. Perfect bedtime reading for parents and babies."


Little Nutbrown Hare and Big Nutbrown Hare try to express how much they love each other.

HIGHLIGHTS?

  • It’s a board book, so easy for babies to handle.
  • The text is simple enough for children to read themselves when they get a little bit older.

ANY ISSUES?

  • One or two online reviewers have interpreted this simple tale of parental love as the story of a bullying, narcissistic father who always has to have the last word. That’s the internet for you!


   10.   Welcome to the World

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Editors Review

"Big, bright illustrations help your child follow this delightful little story, taking them on a colourful journey into a new world of adventure."


Welcome to the World follows the adventures of a charming baby elephant as it takes its first steps into the big wide world and discovers all the wonders it has to offer.

HIGHLIGHTS?

  • There’s space at the front for you to write a personal message to your baby, which they can then treasure forever.

ANY ISSUES?

  • There are few pages so it’s quite a short read, even for a one-year-old.


   11.    My First Gruffalo Little Library

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Editors Review

“Babies will love the illustrations, and as they grow they will also start to explore the text, which teaches them about colours, numbers and animals.”


The original Gruffalo books will come a little later in your child’s development, but these tiny fun board books are a great way to introduce characters from the deep dark wood to very young children.

HIGHLIGHTS?

  • Your children will quickly come to love Mouse, Fox, Owl and the Gruffalo himself.
  • Start them early and get them hooked.

ANY ISSUES?

  • These books are very small, which is perfect for little hands but less so for grown ups.


   12.    Paddington Little Library 

View on Amazon ▷

Editors Review

“These are funny stories about the UK’s favourite bear, full of charm, warmth and adventure. Babies will love the exciting illustrations; older children will start reading the simple text."


Again, this collection of four board books introduces a children’s favourite to a very young audience.

HIGHLIGHTS?

  • They’re a great size to take out with you, keeping little ones amused wherever you are.

ANY ISSUES?

  • If we were being hyper critical we could say the stories are a little short.


   13.    That’s Not My Robin

View on Amazon ▷

Editors Review

“Bright illustrations and lots of different textures and surfaces to touch and feel help your child’s sensory development.”

 

A new and Chirstmassy addition to the ‘That’s Not My...’ series of touchy, feely board books. When will you find your robin?

HIGHLIGHTS?

  • The range of different materials means babies pick these books up again and again.
  • They love touching the soft, rough and squidgy surfaces.

ANY ISSUES?

  • Watch out for small hands tugging too hard at fluffy materials.


   14.    The Twinkly Twinkly Bedtime Book 

View on Amazon ▷

Editors Review

“When you turn the pages the stars light up! Babies will love the night sky twinkling before their eyes.”


How do we get Little Bear to fall asleep when the sky is lit up with stars? A short, sweet story with a difference.

HIGHLIGHTS?

  • A lovely story and stars that really do light up.

ANY ISSUES?

  • The lights are bright, so perhaps it’s not the last book you should read before bedtime.

   15.     Winter Wonderland Sound Book

View on Amazon ▷

Editors Review

“The illustrations are great, and one year olds will really love pressing the pages and hearing robins singing, a fire crackling and many more."


Winter is a whole lot of fun with this bright, colourful and noisy (in a good way) book.

HIGHLIGHTS?

  • It’s packed with good stuff, including holes to peep through and finger trails to follow.

ANY ISSUES?

  • The sound buttons are pretty sturdy, but not completely child proof (what is?).


How to read to a one year old


The best piece of advice about reading to babies is simply to do it, often. You should do it at all ages, but from six to nine months reading has measurable effects. For example, a study published in the journal Pediatrics found that babies who were read to regularly from six months had a 40% increase in receptive vocabulary at 18 months. Babies who were not read to had only a 16% increase in receptive vocabulary.

  • Anchor your child in your lap so their hands are free to explore flaps, textures and peep holes. Use your own voice to make noises. If a story needs a raspberry, blow one. If a gruff gorilla needs a voice, go deep. Where there’s a song in your book, singalong. And make sure to change your voice for different characters. Your child will see your enthusiasm and love it!
  • While reading, name and point at the pictures your child is looking at or pointing to. And ask your child questions they can answer by pointing to things and asking “Where’s Spot now?” or “What’s caterpillar doing?”
  • Remember, none of this needs to be expensive. Children love repetition, so build a small library of much loved books or take regular trips to the local library. Then find a snuggly corner with no distractions and enjoy some wonderful reading time with your one-year-old.


Dad stories - reading to one year olds.


There's nothing we love more than seeing dads reading with their one year olds. Here are some of the stories we've loved and been inspired by. 

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The 15 best books for 1 year olds (2023 buying guide) was last modified: January 4th, 2023 by DaddiLife

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