In
Search of Great Children’s Books
Evening time in my house means the wonderful routine of reading to my son before he goes off to bed. We enter his room and look at the bookcase full of books, anxious to choose just the right ones to get him settled down and off to some dreamy sleep (and some peace and quiet time for mom and dad!).
Some nights it works beautifully, with him sitting on my lap, highly engaged in the pictures and the story. However, on many occasions, we open the book and he loses interest. Since he is only two years old, I know that this is not out of the norm, but being a teacher and a reader, I can’t help but feel some sense of loss as he tumbles across the floor or begins to jump around again.
If this is the scene in your house, I’m sure you’ll agree that choosing the right book is the key to getting a child into reading. But as a parent, how do you know which is the right book? What should you consider when helping your child choose a book?
There are a number of resources out there to guide you in picking out good children’s books for you child. One such resource is a publication from The Children’s Book Council, an organization that is dedicated to promoting good children’s literature and reading. They have put together some helpful guidelines to help you choose good children’s literature.
Babies and Toddler Age Children
When choosing books for babies and toddlers, keep in mind that this age group is very attracted to the illustrations. Books with simple pictures of colorful objects and small phrases as opposed to lots of words will help to capture their attention and interest. Repetition of a pattern in the storyline will help the child to catch on and be able to respond to the story, such as in Eric Carle’s, Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See? Books with, no words will allow them to use their imaginations and develop storytelling skills as they grow older. Finally, one needs to think in terms of books that are literally “built to last” for this young age group. Board books, cloth books and books that are made of materials like vinyl and plastic not only contain interesting pictures and limited words but allow for the wear and tear of very young teeth and hands.
Book suggestions:
· The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
· Time For Bed by Mem Fox
· Cynthia Rylant’s Everyday Book by Cynthia Rylant
· Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
Preschool Age and Kindergarten Age Children
Preschool and kindergarten age children respond well to slightly more complex storylines that still contain some repetition in the text. Books that contain pop ups or lifting the flaps are intriguing to them. This age group is able to use these things in a more constructive manner to better understand the story.
Book suggestions:
· The Bear Under The Stairs by Helen Cooper
· Road Builders by B.G. Hennessey
· The Paper Princess by Elisa Klevin
· Curious George by H.A. Rey
5-8 Year-Olds
This age group enjoys good picture books, with strong storylines and characters that develop throughout the story. Reading out loud to kids at this age is still important. It helps to model the skills they should be using when they are reading alone. When helping a child to choose a book that he or she can read alone, help your child to focus on books that have a straightforward storyline and language that is part of the child’s everyday vocabulary. When your child enters third grade, he or she can often handle a book with a storyline and characters that are more complex. This is also a good time for children to begin reading nonfiction books that help them to develop interest in a particular topic.
Book suggestions:
· The Magic School Bus in the Time of the Dinosaurs by Joanne Cole
· Henry and Mudge and the Careful Cousin by Cynthia Rylant
· Nate the Great and the Mushy Valentine by Marjorie Sharmat Weinman
· Stone Soup by Marcia Brown
9–12 Year Olds
This age group holds much more independent readers. They can read a broader range of materials but need to find something that fits both their interest and reading level. Have children check to make sure that the book is an appropriate level book for them by using the “five finger rule.” If a page they read contains more than five unknown words for them, it is too challenging for them to read independently. If there are one or two new words, it will be a good match for their level of reading.
Keep in mind the personality traits of your child and his or her likes when choosing books. Nonfiction reads that broaden their knowledge about a topic also come in handy at this age.
Book suggestions:
· Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner
· Charlotte's Web by E.B. White
· Sounder by William H. Armstrong
· Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary
· Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume
Below are some websites that offer suggestions for good children’s books choices.
· http://www.richmond.k12.va.us/readamillion/booklists.htm
· http://www.kidbibs.com/growareader/index.html