Good Reads

One of Caleb's favorite activities is reading a good book--or any book for that matter. He'll climb up on the sofa with me (or Luke), cover up his toes with a blanket (just like Mommy and Daddy), and read book after book (or the same book again and again). For my memory's sake and if you're interested in good books for one-year-olds, I've listed some of our favorites below. Most are board books, but we're also starting to read some early-reader, paper-page books. If you have early-reader book recommendations, I'd love to hear them!


Bear Snores On--Love that a good story is accompanied by good rhythm and rhyme

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs--I thought this would be too much for Caleb, but he's fascinated by the detailed illustrations. I've been surprised by how much of the story he actually comprehends and will mime back to me.

Caps for Sale--Shorter than Cloudy, but still more of a challenge than most board books. A challenge, that is, for short attention spans, not necessarily my reading ability. Caleb loves to shake his hands and stomp his feet just like the peddler.

One Dark Night--Caleb doesn't quite understand the climax of this book like he does with others, but he enjoys the contrast between the two teensy friends and the big beasty bear.

Sailor Moo: Cow at Sea--Good for a combination of humor and rhyme.

Jamberry--Nonsense rhymes, but great foreshadowing in the illustrations

Wheels on the Bus-A song put to pictures--notable for its illustrations more than it's actual content.

I Spy Little Books series--Caleb has these mastered, so they are starting to fall out of favor...that is, until he rediscovers them on the bookshelf and wants to read them over and over. Again, no great story here, but it's fun to see how many things Caleb notices and comprehends.

Dr. Suess' ABCs--A book so sing-songy that I've woken up several nights with this stuck in my head. Not one of my favorites, but Caleb likes it.

The Very Busy Spider--Great for animal sounds. I like it better than Polar Bear, Polar Bear. Caleb's favorite character is the fly.

Twas the Night Before Christmas--We read this during the month of December as it's tradition in Luke's family. We have an awesome pop-up version that forced us to teach Caleb to be (more) gentle with books.