Ricki and Henry’s Favorite Children’s Books (1-2 Years)

I make an attempt to pick out the top ten picture books that Henry and I read together. These posts feature his (my husbands, and my) favorite picture books that we’ve read. This is incredibly difficult because we read so many fantastic books. But I understand, as a mom with a limited budget, that other parents may appreciate a list. We usually plow through library books and buy our favorites. Each of the books listed below is worthy of purchasing! With the holidays near, I recommend each of these. I am excluding my favorite books from our first top ten list (birth to six months) and our second top ten list (six to twelve months). As I described in the first post, Henry, his dad, and I read books together every night, and we are excited to share these great books with all of you! They are listed in alphabetical order.

1. The Color Monster: A Pop-Up Book of Feelings by Anna Llenas

This beautiful pop-up book is fascinating. I’ve always found pop-up books to be entertaining, but this one takes pop-up books to a completely different level.

2. Emmanuel’s Dream: The True Story of Emmanual Ofosu Yeboah by Laurie Ann Thompson

This is an inspirational nonfiction picture book. I loved learning about Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah and loved the themes.

3. Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast by Josh Funk

This book is not only fun, but it is funny! My son and I really enjoy reading this one together, and I love that it gives me opportunities to promote foods. This helps me combat the picky eating—an excellent bonus to a well-written text.

4. Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña

I love everything written by Matt de la Peña, and this book is no exception. Henry pulls this book off of the bookshelf every day, and it makes my heart happy. This one is a crowd favorite in our household.

5. Little Tree by Loren Long

This quiet book holds a special place in my heart. The drawings and text are simple, yet the story fills the room.

6. Planes Fly by George Ella Lyon

My son would be very upset if I didn’t include this book on the list. We read it every night, and he is obsessed with the planes.

7. The Racecar Alphabet by Brian Floca

We tell Henry he can read two books each night (otherwise, it turns into twelve–and don’t worry, he gets about thirty books during the day). Sometimes, he requests this one twice. He loves it, and so do my husband and I, so it is a win-win.

8. Red: A Crayon’s Story by Michael Hall

I read this book in the bookstore. Everyone was raving about it, and I wanted to see what it was all about. I had to buy it. It is that good. Not only does it allow me to practice colors with Henry, but we talk about empathy and feeling confident in who we are—regardless of societal expectations. Of course, we talk about this in age appropriate terms. 🙂

9. What Do You Do With an Idea? by Kobi Yamada

After I read this book, not only did I buy it, but I bought it for my sister. I absolutely love the way this book inspires me to be creative. It is a great book to teach symbolism.

10. Wish by Matthew Cordell

This is a book written for parents (and obviously, it is very kid-friendly, too!). It made me cry. These two elephants wish and wish for a baby.

What are your favorite children’s books? Henry and I would love to reserve them from the library! Please share!