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Choosing the Best Books for Your Child
Build a library of titles he'll remember forever.
By Shama Narang
Do you recall your favorite dog-eared tale about a far-away kingdom or a backyard adventure? Or the first time you hid a flashlight under the covers because you had to find out how a story ended? Selecting terrific books for your small child will put him on the road to learning, build his vocabulary and object recognition skills, spark his curiosity about the world, and create wonderful memories. As he grows, great books will help him become passionate about reading and promote school success by developing vocabulary, writing, comprehension, and study skills.
Parent's Checklist
Developmental Edge
Extending the Fun
Before buying, see how your selection rates by asking yourself:
- Is this book age-appropriate?
Take note of the age guidelines and learning benefits of your selections. For your baby or toddler, board books constructed of sturdy cardboard and wipeable plastic titles make good choices. Older toddlers and preschoolers can handle paper pages and will delight in larger picture and lift-the-flap books that invite them to lose themselves in the story.
The best books will grow with your child. For example, you might buy your 5 year old a picture book you read to him. At 6, he's reciting the words to you, and by 8 he's curled up in a corner reading it alone. For an independent reader, select titles that will challenge him without causing too much frustration.
- What will my child learn from this book?
Books for babies and preschoolers tend to focus on basic concepts, like ABCs, feelings, or friendship, as well as use repetition, phonics, and other literacy tools to prepare him for reading. For an older child, consider how a book will develop her comprehension and vocabulary, as well as the themes and possibilities she'll learn through reading.
- Is the subject matter appealing?
As a general rule, the younger your child is, the more stories need to speak to his life experiences. As he gets older, fantasy becomes more important. Let his interests guide you, and be creative in your selections. Is he a dinosaur buff? Try a rhyming dinosaur picture book at bedtime, and for solo reading, offer him a nonfiction book about archeological digs.
- Will my child find the text and illustrations appealing?
This is a gut reaction. In picture books, look for illustrations that catch your eye and familiar characters that will engage her attention. Your choices should invite her to point, touch, and talk about the pictures. Also check for books that sound like they'd be fun to read out loud. If she likes repeating words and phrases aloud, poetry or nonsense stories are a great choice. If you know your older child has enjoyed a particular author, illustrator, or series in the past, go with titles from the same creators. Choosing award-winners will also help you select high quality books.
Developmental Edge
For read-alouds, choose appealing tales that build basic literacy skills. When buying books for independent readers, strike a balance between fun, learning, and challenging. Use our age-by-age guide to different formats and subjects to help you select the right reads.
- Babies & Toddlers
Best bets are sturdy, "chewable" books that resist being damaged by spills. Look for bold illustrations or photographs with simple or no text. Books that contain pictures of things familiar to your child will make "reading" more enticing to him. Board books featuring other babies or animals are perennial favorites—as are beloved characters such as Clifford. For toddlers, try interactive board books or book-and-toy sets about feelings and daily rituals.
- Preschoolers
Add traditional picture books to your collection. They should have eye-catching illustrations and rhythmic and/or rhyming text that's fun to read aloud. Try simple stories that relate to your little one's experiences, and make reading comfortable by choosing books starring a favorite character, like Franklin or Barney. Try searching for stories about characters with the same age or first name to help her relate to the story. Books that invite interaction, like I Spy hunt-and-finds, scratch-and-sniff, or pop-up books will encourage her to become an active reader.
- Grades K to 2
Choose several kinds of picture books—some with text at your child's reading level, which he can tackle alone, and others with more difficult sentences and vocabulary, which you can read and discuss together. Introduce basic chapter books, which feature large, simple text and illustrations on each page, for lap or bedtime reading. Be sure to include plenty of fantasy in your child's reading diet, including classic fairy tales and their contemporary parodies. Kids this age love animal stories; they also gravitate toward tales starring favorite characters. Read-aloud poetry like Mother Goose will enchant your beginning reader with sounds and rhythms that reinforce literacy skills. When choosing realistic fiction, pick stories starring children a year or two older than your child.
- Grades 3 to 5
Mix fiction and nonfiction that follows her fascinations. Young history buffs can travel back in time with Dear America diaries, and kids curious about how things work will enjoy science adventures aboard the Magic School Bus. If your child is having difficulty making the transition from picture to chapter books, try those with easy-to-read, large-print text and illustrations on each page. Also try series fiction like Harry Potter or the Powerpuff Girls, and humor stories like Captain Underpants.
- Middle-Schoolers
If your child's an avid reader, introduce classic books that contain elevated language, like The Wind in the Willows. For less enthusiastic readers, try lighter series fiction that will keep him reading to find out what happens. Choose a variety of action and adventure titles, including fantasies like Deltora Quest and the extreme reality fiction you see in the Everest series. Books exploring teens' social struggles and general adolescent angst may also strike a chord with reluctant readers. Middle-schoolers tend to prefer protagonists who are in high school.
Extending the Fun
- When reading to your child, talk about the illustrations, storyline, and characters. Read the text and point to each word, bringing the story off the page with a dramatic reading style. Ask him questions about the story and to predict what will happen next.
- Stage a puppet show based on a favorite book with your little one. You can share storytelling and puppeteering duties and put on a performance for the entire family. Don't forget to record it!
- Encourage your child to think of books as entertainment by renting a movie version of a treasured tale or going to see a live performance starring a favorite character.
- Develop your older child's writing skills by asking him to write a short sequel to a beloved chapter book. Challenge him to illustrate the cover!
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