Best books for 1 year olds: 10 brilliant books that we recommend as must-reads
Recommended by parents and loved by babies, these interactive and durable favourites are must-haves for your child's bookshelf
Books can offer a magical experience for all ages, and there is a huge range of brilliant books for even the youngest readers out there. However, it can be tricky to find one that will really engage your baby when they're at this young age, especially if you're concerned that your baby would rather chew it than sit through it whilst you read it!
The best baby books for 1-year-olds will have simple text, bright and engaging colourful illustrations, and some kind of interactive element that will spark curiosity and encourage interaction.
We've included classic lift-the-flap books, books with pull and pull mechanisms or tactile textures, noisy books and a few with a hidden mirror in too — all elements that will really capture your 1-year-old's attention.
Our selection of the best books for 1-year-olds is all parent-approved by our Top Testers Club. Our community told us what their favourite books to read to their babies were, and we rounded up the best options. From simple stories to sensory adventures, you'll find the best book for your 1-year-old below.
Best books for 1-year-olds at a glance
- Best first lift-the-flap book for 1-year-olds: Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell,
£7.99£4 at Amazon (Save £3.99 or 50%) - Best tactile book for 1-year-olds: That's Not My... Series by Fiona Watt, from £6.99 at Waterstones
- Best lift-the-flap book series for 1-year-olds: Where's Spot? Series by Eric Hill,
£7.99£4 at The Works (Save £3.99 or 50%) - Best noisy books for 1-year-olds: Usbourne Sound Books,
£51.96£28.69 for a 4 Books Collection at Amazon (Save £23.27 or 45%) - Best touch and sound book for 1-year-olds: Don't Tickle the... Series by Sam Taplin, from £6 at Amazon
- Best peekaboo book for 1 year olds: Peekaboo... Series by Camilla Reid,
£7.99£4.50 for Peekaboo Dog at Amazon (Save £3.49 or 44%) - Best silicone texture book for 1-year-olds: Never Touch A... Series by Rosie Greening, £5.99 for Never Touch A Dragon at Amazon
- Best robust lift-the-flap book for 1-year-olds: Felt Flaps Where's Mr/Mrs Series by Ingela P Arrhenius,
£34.95£18.49 for a 5 Books Collection at Amazon (Save £16.46 or 47%) - Best book with moving parts for 1-year-olds: Campbell Busy Books by Louise Forshaw, from £6.99 at Amazon
- Best bedtime book for 1-year-olds: Baby Touch: Night-Night,
£7.99£7.35 at Amazon (Save 64p or 8%)
Best books for 1-year-olds
1. Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell, £7.99
Best first lift-the-flap book for 1-year-olds
A must-have for any child's bookshelf, Dear Zoo is a classic for a reason. It's filled with favourite zoo animals that young children will have great fun finding by lifting the flaps, and is illustrated with bright and bold artwork.
Parents love how engaging Dear Zoo is for their 1 year olds, parent tester Yvonne said "it's so much fun for little hands to engage with, lifting the flaps" and parent tester Abbie told us "it's interactive with flaps, but also simple to understand and great for tackling first words."
Plus, it's a board book and made with thick card pages, so it's durable and can withstand many years of reading (and potential baby bashes!). Parent tester Charlene said, "Dear Zoo is my top recommendation for 1-year-olds and is still a strong favourite in our household. It's engaging, fun and hard-wearing."
I would recommend Dear Zoo as a great book for 1 year olds as it’s a lovely short book that little hands can lift the flap to reveal the animal. It also helps with animal recognition and practice of animal sounds!
Available from: Amazon, The Works and Waterstones
2. That's Not My... Series by Fiona Watt, from £6.99
Best tactile book for 1-year-olds
From puppies and bunnies to dinosaurs and even tractors, the That's Not My... series has over 50 titles to choose from, and each one proves to be engaging and captivating for 1-year-old babies and beyond.
The books really stand out for their tactile and interactive elements that really appeal to young children. As you turn each page, babies will explore the bright and colourful illustrations as well as the fuzzy, smooth and soft tactile patches on each page.
Plus, they're robustly made to withstand little hands. Parent tester Kathika said, "We love any lift-the-flap books, especially the That's Not My... collection because it's so interactive and most importantly, the flaps are made of fabric and they're so secure, so can't be ripped apart!"
Parent tester Chelle also said, "My little one loves the textures of the That's Not My range," and parent tester Vanessa agreed, "We love the That's Not My book range as the books have different textures and my little one likes to feel them."
I love the That's Not My... books because they're very repetitive, they have big bright pictures, plus an interactive element. They're also such good quality hard cover books!
Available from: Amazon, Waterstones
3. Where's Spot? series by Eric Hill, £7.99
Best lift-the-flap book series for 1-year-olds
Where's Spot?, the original Spot book, was the first ever lift-the-flap book published, and since then, the adventures of the adorable dog Spot have been captivating generations of babies.
It has simple, playful text that will encourage little ones to respond, and the bright and colourful images are hugely engaging. Plus, babies and toddlers will delight in joining the hunt and trying to lift the flaps to find the lovable and cheeky pup.
Parent tester Ellie said this is one of her favourites to read to her 1-year-old: "It's engaging with lift the flaps, and it's short enough to keep their interest."
This board book is well-built with toddler-proof flaps, so it should last through many readings as your baby grows up. There's also a whole range of Spot books to choose from — our particular favourites are Spot's Birthday Party and Spot Goes to School.
We love Spot's adventures because the books are simple but colourful and engaging. Plus they have flaps to open to surprise the children.
Available from: The Works, Amazon, Waterstones and Mamas & Papas
4. Usborne Sound Books, from £7.99
Best noisy books for 1-year-olds
Books with sound elements are always going to be huge hits for babies, and none more so than the collection of sound books from Usborne. This series of books features sounds from a true variety of different places, including vehicles, animals, cities, and even a building site.
Parent tester Kellie told us they love the Usborne sound books: "our sons very much loved books where you could press sounds that connected with the images, they really engaged in these" and parent tester Willow said, "my 1 year old loves the sound books, his favourite is the Farm Sounds one at the minute."
These books, and their accompanying sounds, really help to bring the story to life for young children as they get to press the buttons and hear hens clucking or trucks beeping. Plus, the books are illustrated with adorable and colourful scenes, and the simple text is great to read along to.
The Usbourne sound books make sounds throughout the story and my little girl really enjoyed these for her 1st birthday gift. She started to copy the sounds throughout and press the buttons herself so very interacting for kids. We have 4 (Seashore, Farm, Jungle and Zoo).
Available from: Amazon, Waterstones
5. Don't Tickle the... Series by Sam Taplin, £12.99
Best touch and sound book for 1-year-olds
If you want a fun and engaging book that will make your baby giggle, then definitely try the Don't Tickle series. Combining tactile, touchy-feely patches and cute sounds, this hilarious book will delight young babies and toddlers alike. Babies won't be able to resist tickling the patches and will then hear the penguin, cow, or dragon make their sounds.
Our parent testers told us their kids really enjoyed these books. Parent tester Sara said, "My daughters loved Don't Tickle the Crocodile. Lots of tickling fun with animal noises," and parent tester Stephanie told us, "My little boy's favourite book was Don't Tickle the Hippo! Animal sounds made him giggle, and he loved the touch and feel animals."
There are over 20 books to discover in the series, so you can try and resist tickling a shark, monkey, dinosaur, and even a unicorn!
At this age, my kids both loved the Don’t Tickle The… books. We have the hippo, dinosaur and polar bear. It makes them laugh so much when they press the button and then dance along to the music at the end.
Available from: Amazon, The Works, Waterstones
6. Peekaboo series by Camilla Reid, £7.99
— Best peekaboo book for 1-year-olds
We know that babies love to play peekaboo, so they will love this novelty book series with easy-to-use peekaboo sliders. Parent tester Jayne told us, "My boys LOVE the Peekaboo books by Camilla Reid! We make up stories about the characters on the pages, but the Peekaboo aspect is brilliant!"
Each book in the Peekaboo series, from Peekaboo Dog and Peekaboo Lion to Peekaboo Moon and Peekaboo Sun, features 10 sliders that babies can push, pull or turn, plus there's a surprise mirror at the end. Alongside the fun, interactive elements is a fun rhyming text to ensure that this book will keep babies captivated and engaged.
The 'Peekaboo....' books are great with lots of chunky pages, sliders and interactive parts
Available from: Amazon, Waterstones
7. Never Touch A... Series by Rosie Greening, £7.99
Best silicone texture book for 1-year-olds
Any book with interactive elements is sure to be a winner with babies, and the Never Touch A... series is packed with innovative silicone touch points that provide an engaging and tactile reading experience. Alongside this, in each book are engaging, funny rhymes and warm, vivid illustrations that will captivate young children.
There are plenty of titles to choose from, so you can read all about how you should never touch a snake, panda, koala, tiger, dragon, dinosaur, or even an axolotl!
My son is a year old, he loves the ‘Never Touch A…’ books. His favourite is ‘Never Touch A Dragon’. Bright colours and with different textures to feel, he’s learned how to turn the pages by himself. They are also very robust and wipe easily when he decides to taste them, throw them, sit on them and wipe sticky fingers and food on them!
Available from: Waterstones, Amazon
8. Felt Flaps Where's Mr/Mrs Series by Ingela P Arrhenius, £6.99
Best robust lift-the-flap book for 1-year-olds
The Felt Flaps series is perfect for babies who like to interact with their books and play with the flaps. Our parent testers loved these books as they're not only beautifully illustrated and crafted, but they're incredibly durable and tough, so are able to withstand enthusiastic reading by babies and toddlers.
Parent tester Natalie said "this series is good as the flaps are fabric so don't rip" and parent tester Rebecca told us "for books they can interact with, my 1 year old loved flipping through his Where's Mrs T-Rex book (I love these because he can't rip the felt!)".
The bright, retro artwork will engage babies, and the interactive flaps will be sure to captivate them. Plus, there are a lot of editions to choose from, including seasonal titles and collaborations with the National Trust, such as Where's Mr Puffin? and Where's Mrs Bee?
My little boy loved the ‘Where’s Mr/Mrs…’ books when he was 1 — he could lift the flaps himself without them getting damaged which made reading them a lot calmer than some other books!
Available from: Amazon, Waterstones, Mamas & Papas, Superdrug
9. Campbell Busy Books by Louise Forshaw, £6.99
Best book with moving parts for 1-year-olds
With plenty to see, explore and most importantly, push, pull, slide and turn, the Busy Books will captivate babies, sparking their curiosity and interest. The board books are durable and filled with bright and colourful illustrations alongside a gentle, rhyming text.
There are plenty to choose from in the series too — babies will have fun exploring a busy airport, farm, beach, garden, park and many more.
We loved the 'Busy' range which have push pull and slide bits to interact. My two especially liked Busy Party and Busy Park.
Available from: Amazon, Waterstones
10. Baby Touch: Night-Night, £7.99
Best bedtime book for 1-year-olds
Perfect for soothing your baby before bedtime, this touch-and-feel book allows your baby to say 'night night' to all the animals, plants and vehicles before drifting off to sleep themselves. Combining calm and gentle text, tactile patches and peepo holes, this comforting book is the perfect bedtime book for 1-year-olds.
Plus, the colours cleverly fade from light to dark throughout the book, signalling that it's nighttime and time for baby to go to sleep.
You can also check out the other titles in the Baby Touch series.
Our now 2 year old has been reading this book with me every night since she was 1, she loves it and has now memorised the story from the pictures so she sometimes reads it to me! She won't go to bed without it being read!
Available from: Amazon, Waterstones
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Authors
Emily is the Digital Content Producer at MadeForMums and creates editorial and video content across the brand. She also edits the weekly editorial newsletter, oversees our reviews process and loves creating our craft articles and videos. She specialises predominantly in car seats and pushchairs, and has yet to meet a buggy she couldn’t fold! With a 1st class degree in History, she always researches topics thoroughly to find the best recommendations for parents.