Choosing A Book For A First Birthday Gift
Our team’s 8 first-birthday gift picks
Below is the actual shortlist we keep on the team Slack for “a first birthday is coming up” emergencies. Each one ticks at least one of the criteria we describe later in this post (a meaningful year, a name match, or a true classic), and each one is the kind of book a child will still pull off the shelf at age six.
| Book | Why we gift it | Find It |
|---|---|---|
| Noni the Pony Alison Lester |
Aussie author Lila grew up loving. Soft rhyme, warm Aussie palette, perfect for tiny hands. | Check on Amazon → |
| Where Is the Green Sheep? Mem Fox & Judy Horacek |
A first-birthday hall-of-famer in Mia’s Year 1 classroom. Teaches colours, opposites, and the joy of a great punchline. | Check on Amazon → |
| Possum Magic Mem Fox & Julie Vivas |
The Australian classic. Pairs beautifully with a written message inside the front cover. | Check on Amazon → |
| The Very Hungry Caterpillar Eric Carle |
Holds up at every age — counting at 1, days of the week at 4, life-cycle science at 6. | Check on Amazon → |
| Guess How Much I Love You Sam McBratney |
The book to gift if you want them to cry on cue 18 years later when they re-read your inscription. | Check on Amazon → |
| Goodnight Moon Margaret Wise Brown |
Joel’s pick — quiet, repetitive, calming. A bedtime ritual book they’ll memorise without you noticing. | Check on Amazon → |
| Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy Lynley Dodd |
Best read-aloud rhyme on the shelf. Toddlers will demand it on repeat for two solid years. | Check on Amazon → |
| Each Peach Pear Plum Janet & Allan Ahlberg |
A spotting book layered with nursery-rhyme cameos — rewards re-reading for years. | Check on Amazon → |
Now, if you want to choose your own rather than borrow ours, here’s how we actually think through it…
We recently bought a book as a first birthday gift, and I shared our experience on our Facebook page. I admit that I did get a little worked up about finding the ‘perfect’ book, but that’s because I have strong opinions about books as gifts. Some of you asked how I consider a book to be suitable for a birthday gift. I thought I’d share some of my thoughts with you. Feel free to share some of your own.
Books given as birthday gifts, especially first birthday gifts, need to be extra special.
I’m not sure whether everyone will agree with me on this, but when I give a book as a birthday gift, I expect it to be more meaningful than a book that a child might receive while on a random visit to the bookstore.
A birthday book gift deserves to be so special that you proudly write a message on the inside cover for the child to read for many years to come.
In my mind, it needs to be a book that the child can begin reading and enjoying straight away, but also a book that they can either continue to enjoy for years to come or become one that becomes a meaningful keepsake.
Books you receive on your first birthday should NEVER be thrown away. They are the books that should be kept forever and passed on to children and grandchildren.
So what do I look for when I’m trying to find a book for a first birthday gift?
I can’t actually give you a Top 10 list of books to buy for a first birthday, because I believe the book needs to be meaningful for the individual child.
However, when I’m looking for a first birthday book, I try to find one that features at least one of the following elements:
a) A book with a significant year:
Find a book that was published the year the child was born. Even better, find a book that won/received an award the year the child was born. Some children’s book awards include:
Children’s Book Council of Australia
The Australian Book Industry Awards
The Indie Book Awards (The Australian Independent Booksellers Association)
Prime Minister’s Literary Awards
b) A book with a significant character:
Find a book whose character shares the same name as the child receiving the book.
c) A classic or timeless book:
I actually rarely buy classics (e.g. The Hungry Caterpillar) for children because I’m always afraid the family will already have a copy. In this instance, I’m referring to a classic as a book that has a timeless storyline: a story that can be enjoyed by children of all ages.
d) A story which matches the child’s personality or circumstance:
I try to find a story that describes a child’s personality (gentle, giving, adventurous, shy) or their life circumstances (birth order, age, place of birth, the first year of school, special interest, etc.)
e) A book with a life-empowering message
I also can’t look past a book that will give the child a positive message to live by as they take their own life journey.
f) And if all else fails, buy a birthday-themed book:
At least you’ll know that this book will be fished out of the bookcase and read at least once a year.
Quick-grab: the full first-birthday shortlist
Each link opens an Amazon AU search for that title’s exact ISBN. Bookshops and libraries stock most of these too — but if you’re short on time, this is the fastest path. We earn a small commission on Amazon purchases, which keeps the lights on at the Bookcase.
- Noni the Pony — Alison Lester
- Where Is the Green Sheep? — Mem Fox & Judy Horacek
- Possum Magic — Mem Fox & Julie Vivas
- The Very Hungry Caterpillar — Eric Carle
- Guess How Much I Love You — Sam McBratney
- Goodnight Moon — Margaret Wise Brown
- Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy — Lynley Dodd
- Each Peach Pear Plum — Janet & Allan Ahlberg
