25 Books You Must Read to Your 1-Year-Old

“Bear,” my son said as he handed me the book.

“You want to read this one?” I verified.

He nodded emphatically before climbing into my lap.

1-year-old is my favorite time to read with my kids. After their first birthday, toddlers at this age absorb so much information from books and begin to interact with them. Plus, they’re rapidly building their language and literacy skills, making it the perfect time to read.

Don’t get caught up thinking you must read only about first words or books that use simple words. When my boys were 1, they would sit still and listen to longer books than at 2. It’s a beautiful time for reading. I treasured those precious moments when my baby started grabbing books for himself and climbing into my lap to listen.

But not all books are created equal. Some may be too long or wordy for this age, and others too simple. So, I’ve created a list of the best children’s books for this in-between stage. I hope your 1-year-old loves these picture books as much as mine have.

25 Books You Must Read to Your 1-Year-Old

1. Giraffes Can’t Dance Giles Andreae

Giraffes Can’t Dance is about a clumsy giraffe who is laughed at for being a terrible dancer until he finds his music.

This is such a fun book for one-year-olds. Its calming and slow rhyme scheme makes it easy to memorize, which children at this age excel at. It’s easy and fun for both adults and children. Though it’s long, the rhyme scheme helps make it quick to read. Plus, including many wild animals helps familiarize your child with animals they may see at the zoo.

Although your child may not understand the message at this age, it’s still a beautiful book that you’ll both enjoy reading.

2. We’re Going on a Bear Hunt Helen Oxenbury

The story follows a family looking for a bear. After quite a trek, they realize this adventure is a bad idea. It’s one of my 1-year-old’s favorite board books.

This classic book is perfect for 1-year-olds who love repetition and onomatopoeia (words written as they sound–“Squelch Squerch”). This is a literary effect that I’ve found kids this age love. I read We’re Going on a Bear Hunt to my 1 and 3-year-old, and it was a bigger hit with my 1-year-old.

3. There’s a Dragon in Your Book Tom Fletcher

There’s a Dragon in Your Book is one of Tom Flectcher’s interactive books (his most famous is There’s a Monster in Your Book). In this book, there’s an egg in your book. When you aren’t careful, it hatches into a baby dragon. You spend the rest of the book caring for the dragon using your imagination.

I like this book for 1-year-olds because a monster in your book can be a little scary (it scared my son at 1), but a baby dragon isn’t scary. It’s cute. Plus, this book requires less movement with the book (twists, turns, shakes), and my son could participate earlier with it. It makes for an engaging and interactive read.

4. Dinosaur Dig! Penny Dale

Dinosaur Dig! tells the story of a group of dinosaurs as they complete a construction project. Each step of the way.

This is the perfect book for 1-year-old boys. Both of my boys loved construction and dinosaurs at an early age. Dinosaur Dig! combines them, along with some counting. On top of that, each page includes some construction sounds as part of the text. My 1-year-old loves all of this. Dinosaurs, trucks, and sounds make it a great book for a 1-year-old boy.

5. Roadwork Sally Sutton

This book uses rhythmic text to describe roadwork in a fun, rhythmic way that keeps a child’s attention. Each page discusses a different machine and how it works to build the road.

Roadwork uses words to describe the roadwork’s sounds (onomatopoeia) and has beautiful illustrations that include many trucks.

This is sure to be one of your 1-year-old’s favorite books.

6. Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site Sherri Duskey Rinker

This book examines the work on a construction site and the hardworking machines working hard to do the job. Now that the site is closing, we say goodbye to each truck.

Both of my boys became fascinated by trucks at around 18 months. I bought Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site for my firstborn when he was 2. He liked it, but it was always a little long to hold his attention. At 3, it didn’t hold his attention at all. I found with my 2nd born that the magical age for this book is 18 months. At 18 months, he sat quietly, captivated while I read. After a few reads, he started saying goodnight to each type of construction truck along with the book, and it became one of our favorite reads for our bedtime routine.

7. Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? Bill Martin Jr.

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? uses Eric Carle’s illustrations to include a different animal that the other sees on each page. Each animal is drawn in bright colors.

This is one of our baby favorites that continues to be a favorite for one-year-olds. Color recognition is an important skill at this age, and animals are always a hit. Once my child is familiar with the book, I like to add animal sounds to each animal. Eventually, my son responds with the animal sounds when he sees each animal. This has always made it a favorite for young children.

8. That’s Not My Dinosaur Fiona Watt

That’s Not My Dinosaur is a touch-and-feel book that uses touch to identify different textures that don’t belong to the mouse’s dinosaur. It’s a simple book and can seem uneventful, but toddlers love it.

It wasn’t much of a hit with my son until he was closer to 2 (about 20 months). He started asking to read it, and I quickly realized he memorized the whole book and understood the different textures.

9. Dear Zoo Rod Campbell

In this lift-the-flap book, the narrator writes to the zoo, and they send him several unsuitable pets before finally sending him the perfect one.

Dear Zoo is a classic favorite in our family. My boys love lifting the flaps and reacting to the animals they find. As they age, I have them call out the animal’s name under the flap before I continue reading. They love participating in this read.

10. Dinosaur Dance! Sandra Boynton

Sandra Boynton books are perfect for 1-year-olds. They’re clever and fun but short and simple too.

Dinosaur Dance! is one of our favorites because it has a catchy song. Each dinosaur is introduced by name and does a different dance. The dance words will stick in your and your toddlers’ heads, and you’ll quickly have this one memorized.

11. Moo Baa Fa La La La La! Sandra Boynton

Moo Baa Fa La La La La! is my favorite Christmas book for 1-year-olds. It’s a Christmas take on Moo, Baa, La La La!, and I think it’s better than the original. Like many of Sandra Boynton’s books, it is read in a song. The book also includes animals and animal noises, which toddlers love.

Moo Baa Fa La La La La! is set to the tune of the song Deck the Halls, which makes it catchy and fun to read.

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12. Where’s the Pumpkin? Fhiona Galloway

This Halloween book follows a cat named Spook as he searches for a pumpkin (which he’s never seen before). He mistakes several different items for pumpkins, and other characters fill in additional descriptive features as he continues to look.

Where’s the Pumpkin? is such a simple book that I would have dismissed it as not interesting enough, but my toddlers love it. It taught them both what a pumpkin was and made them excited about it. And they love to repeat the last line, “I love pumpkins!”

13. Things that Go! Make Believe Ideas

Things that Go! is a simple but well-designed touch-and-feel book about things that go. It has cute rhyming text on each page and a vehicle that includes a patch of silicone to feel. Boys especially seem to love planes, trucks, and anything from a young age.

This interactive book is fun to read. It’s the perfect addition to your baby’s library.

14. Love You Forever Robert Munsch

This classic picture book is about a mom and her relationship with her son over the years. As he grows into an adult, we see the mom’s continued commitment to him as her baby.

Love You Forever is a sweet book with a soft spot in most moms’ hearts. So I was thrilled when it also became a favorite of my 1-year-old. I rock him back and forth as described in the book, and though it’s long, he loves repeating the phrases and finding new items in the pictures.

15. Baby Shark Little Hippo Books

Even if your toddler never watches TV, they will love this song once they hear it. This book includes a finger puppet that you can use to dance around while you sing. My toddler loves these finger puppet books and the baby shark song (I think he heard it at daycare).

This Baby Shark book isn’t a story. It just follows the baby shark song with an image of each member of the shark family and a finger puppet. But it’s fun, and your toddler will love it.

16. There’s a Bear on My Chair Ross Collins

There’s a Bear on My Chair is a story about a mouse who can’t get a large polar bear out of his chair. This is a frustrating problem that he can’t seem to solve. Written in rhymes that will stick with your 1-year-old even though this is a longer book.

My 1-year-old loves animals and is fascinated by bears, so he loves this book. Even if yours doesn’t, I think this is an excellent addition to any 1 year old’s reading schedule.

17. Trains Coming Through! Stephanie Morgan

This is a good book about trains—all different kinds of trains. Follow along as they do their jobs.

Trains Coming Through! uses action words and rhyme that will appeal to your toddler. If your toddler loves things that go, they’ll love learning about trains in this engaging book.

18. The Very Hungry Caterpillar Eric Carle

This classic children’s book is about a caterpillar who eats through a week’s worth of food and then turns into a butterfly. The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a great science book for young readers that’s perfect for toddlers and helps them understand the transformations that happen in nature.

Your 1-year-old will love counting along with you as the caterpillar eats through a week’s worth of food.

19. Little Blue Truck Alice Shertle

Join Little Blue Truck as he greets different animals on the farm and goes about his life in a friendly way. Only to be shoved aside by a busy dump truck that quickly learns a lesson about the importance of slowing down and being kind.

Little Blue Truck is quickly a favorite book of kids of all ages and adults alike. Soon you’ll have it memorized and never get tired of reading it. My toddlers love the farm animals, their noises, and, of course, the dump truck.

20. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Bill Martin Jr.

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom is a fun spin on the ABCs and a great way to introduce them without being so serious about memorization. The letters climb the coconut tree, but it’s too crowded, and things are bound to be messy.

If you’re looking for a way to talk about letters without singing the alphabet song, this new twist will help your toddler recall the letters. Besides that, it’s a book that they are sure to love reading.

21. Good Night Moon Margaret Wise Brown

This classic story also made it onto my list of baby books. I’ve found that both boys continued to love this book (much to my confusion) as they entered their second year. The simple naming of items and the calming story make this a favorite.

Good Night Moon engages toddlers with its rhyming and shifts from color to black and white each time you turn the page.

22. Owl Babies Martin Waddell

When these Owl babies wake up to an empty nest, they’re left to speculate where she may have gone. When the Owl Mom finally returns, it reminds toddlers that Mom always comes back.

Owl Babies is a cute reminder of how much babies need their moms. As a bonus, your child will learn some fun facts about owls. It’s a sweet story that you and your 1-year-old will love reading over and over.

23. Where’s Spot? Eric Hill

This is one of my favorite lift-the-flap books for babies and toddlers. Follow Sally as she searches for Spot and lift the flaps to search along.

Where’s Spot? was always my kids’ favorite early on and continues to be a nostalgic big hit even as they grow older. You’ll spend a lot of time reading this one.

24. Goodnight Gorilla Peggy Rathmann

Follow the zoo keeper as he says good night to each animal. Only, there’s a problem. The Gorilla has the keys!

Goodnight Gorilla is perfect for this age group. Toddlers will love seeing each animal as it follows the zoo keeper to bed. And they’ll love the tricky monkey.

25. The Littlest Train Chris Gall

This book is about a little train in a train set. One day, the train falls, and he explores a new world of trains that help him find his way home.

The Littlest Train is a cute book for kids who love trains. It introduces several different trains in a fun way that your child will love.

Related: The Best Books for 2-Year-Olds & The Best Board Books for Babies & Toddlers

That’s my list of all the best books I’ve found for 1-year-olds. I hope you use this list of good books to find new books that make reading time memorable for you both. And that your toddler will soon be bringing you books to read.

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