Ranking and Reviewing My 1-Year-Old’s Favorite Board Books
Today I’m doing something a little different: I’m ranking and reviewing my 1-year-old’s favorite board books. These rankings are going to be based off how many times my baby asks to read these books, the actual story in the book, and the illustrations (with more points given based on how much my 1-year-old loves the book). All of these books are able to keep my baby’s attention while I read through the book, which is super important in my opinion.
There are seven books total that I’ll be reviewing and ranking going from the lowest ranking to the number one spot. Keep in mind, though, that even with ones that are ranked lower, they are still considered one of my daughter’s favorites. Check out the full list for my 1-year-old’s favorite books below!
#7: Kindness Makes Us Strong by Sophie Beer
So, this board book is super simple and cute. The sentences are short, which is really important because my daughter’s attention span is super short as well :). If I had to guess, this is one of her favorites because the illustrations are so charming and eye-catching. Part of the reason why my daughter spends so long on each page is because she’s soaking in the beautiful pictures.
The reason this one is ranked the lowest out of her favorites, though, is because she doesn’t pick it as often as the others. Also, while the meaning behind the book is really nice (it’s in the title, after all), the story itself was a little too simple.
#6: Simple First Words Let's Talk by Roger Priddy
This book is a hit in our house. I don’t know what it is about babies and things that make noise, but these little humans LOVE things that make noise. While she doesn’t pick this book as often as some of the ones higher on this list, my daughter absolutely loves when I say the word first, point to the image of what the word represents, and then let her push the button that says the word, too. Not only that, but this will keep her attention for three or four read-throughs since it makes noise and is short and sweet.
#5: Barnyard Dance! by Sandra Boynton
So, I’ve always personally loved Sandra Boynton’s books. I think they’re adorable and so much fun to read as a parent. You can get really animated when you read this to your child if you’re willing to be a little silly (which I absolutely am willing to).
If it was up to me, Barnyard Dance! would rank much higher on this list, but I don’t think my daughter is as interested as I am in this book. She might pick it up as often as she does because I make so many silly noises when I read it. Only time will tell, I guess!
#4: The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
I’m sure if you’re reading this list, you expected this book and the next three ranked higher than it, but some things just can’t be argued. My 1-year-old adores The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Whether it’s because she can stick her little fingers in the holes of the food the caterpillar munched through or if it’s from the story itself, I couldn’t tell you. Regardless, this book is a winner and will keep her attention through the whole thing. I also love this book because it’s easy for her to flip the pages when the caterpillar is eating through all of the fruit (the pages are about half the size of the regular pages if you haven’t read the book already). Not only that, but it’s super fun to read this and act absolutely stupefied from how much that tiny caterpillar is consuming. Kinda parallels my 1-year-old when she gets into her snacks….
#3: Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
Another one that consistently shows up on lists of the best board books for 1-year-olds, but, again, there’s a reason for that. This book in particular is great to read a bedtime because it’s easy to imitate the soothing tone that comes with the story itself. I personally like how it alternates between colored pages and pages in black and white. My daughter will sit back while we rock and read this book together, mesmerized by the whole experience.
#2: Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle
This book was my daughter’s number one favorite board book for a long time. However, it just lost its place as the best a few weeks ago. While she still loves this book to pieces, it doesn’t hold the number one spot anymore.
What I personally love about this book is that you can to recognize all of the different animals while also recognizing different colors as well. When you get to the end of the book, each of the animals are on one page and her favorite thing is for me to point to each one as I read what they are. The simplistic nature of this book is entertaining for my daughter and informative. It’s a story that we always return to (even if I’ve already read it a thousand times).
#1: Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell
I’m gonna be honest here: I didn’t even know this book existed until my mom bought it for my daughter. The first time I read it, I was like, “There’s no way this book is popular; there’s nothing to it!” Here I am, eating my words.
My daughter adores this book. I’m starting to see why, too. The sentences are short. She can participate even when I’m flipping the pages (let me tell you, that girl loves revealing those animals that the zoo sent). She also loves the fact that there’s a doggy at the end. All in all, it’s a winner. I just wish they had printed each of the animals’ name below the flap. It’s not that the animals aren’t easy to recognize, I just would’ve liked my daughter to recognize the w0rd for the name of the animal as I show her the picture of it.
