In this post, I want to tell you about some of our favorite board books for 1-year-olds. We’ve been through this stage with three little girls, and these books have stood the test of time in our house!
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I’m going to let you in on a little secret. I’m a children’s book-a-holic. When I taught, I could have easily spent my entire paycheck on books for my classroom. I’m no different now that I’m at home. And especially now that we’re homeschooling!
We keep books all over our house. There are book baskets in the living room and the “hideout” under our stairs. The girls have bookshelves in their bedrooms and in the playroom upstairs. We also keep a few books in the diaper bag. I love watching my girls build a strong relationship with books!
One of my favorite ways to get books into the girls’ hands was actually an accident. Monkey and Cub had been getting fussy when we put them down for a nap, and Little Miss had the idea to give them each a book to look at in their cribs. They love looking at the books as they’re getting sleepy or even when they first wake up and are waiting on me to come to get them up.
Today I want to share with you a few of our favorite board books for 1-year-olds. If you’re ever looking for great books for your favorite kiddos, a baby shower, or birthday or Christmas gift, these books have our seal of approval!
Good Night, Gorilla
This silly little gorilla is a favorite in our house. It’s a super easy read because there aren’t many words, and Monkey and Cub love looking at the pictures. As Little Miss got a bit older, she enjoyed looking for the mouse and the banana on each page.
Your Baby’s First Word Will Be Dada
If Jimmy Fallon writes a children’s book, you buy it! This book is full of animals and animal noises, which are a big hit around here. Little Miss started “reading” this book to Monkey and Cub early on, and we have some of the sweetest videos of them giggling while she reads.
Moo, Baa, La La La!
Books about animals and their noises are pretty popular in our family. This one is no exception. I love that the text in this book is fairly predictable, and the girls know what’s coming next. Little Miss loved chiming in with the animal sounds, and I’m sure Monkey and Cub will too before long!
Where is Baby’s Belly Button?
This book is so much fun! It teaches body parts, and the girls love lifting the flaps. It’s hilarious to read this book and then watch the girls show me the body part that is mentioned on each page (hands, feet, eyes, etc.). We’re on our second copy because this book has been so well-loved in our house!
The Pout-Pout Fish
I read this book to my class when I taught and was delighted to get it as a board book! This one works for all of our girls. It’s great for Little Miss, as it talks about how obnoxious pouting is, and Monkey and Cub love the illustrations of the fish and the repetition in the story.
Baby’s Very First Slide and See Under the Sea
Any of the Slide and See books from Usborne are fantastic! They are full of colorful pictures and sliding panels that show a hidden image underneath. They are the perfect size for little fingers, and my girls have all three adored this series.
Peek-a WHO?
This book has simple words and rhymes, as well as fun pictures with cut-outs that reveal the next page. It’s perfect for beginning to predict what’s next, and the last page has a mirror, which is always a hit!
Baby Woof-Woof
Just like Usborne, we’ve found you can’t go wrong with DK books. This board book has big, chunky flaps to open and reveal a hidden picture. It’s another animal book, but animals seem to be pretty popular with the one-year-old crowd.
Never Touch a Spider!
All of my girls have loved touch-and-feel books. They’re great to keep little hands busy and little minds entertained. This series of books is fun and absolutely adorable! It has more words than your typical baby board book, but the story is funny and a little less dull for the adult reading.
First Words
As you can probably tell, we like interactive board books in our house. This one is a lift-the-flap book that has colorful pictures and touches on many words that babies say early on.
Pride and Prejudice
This counting book is so much fun, especially for me, since I love Pride and Prejudice! I had no idea that the company BabyLit existed until one of my dear friends brought us this book for Little Miss. They have turned classic literature into fun, colorful books for little ones! Pride and Prejudice isn’t the only one of their books that we own. We also have The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Wizard of Oz and can’t wait to add more to our collection!
It was so hard to narrow our favorite board books for 1-year-olds down to just eleven. In fact, I’d intended to only do ten, but couldn’t do it!
Do you have board books that you and your kids love? I know I’ve left so many great ones out. Add your favorites to the comments, and we can have a running list of great books for the little ones in your life!
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