Reading to Children, Part 3 - Favorite Books

I have always loved children’s books.  Children’s Literature was one of my favorite classes in college.  During that time, I also worked in the children’s section of the library at my school and loved my job.

And now, finally, I have a child of my own, and I get to read to him to my heart’s content.  And it has opened up a whole new world for me of all the preschool books available, which was an area I was less familiar with, not to mention that thousands of new ones have come out since my college days.

This is actually sort of a hard blog to write because there are SO MANY good books out there, but I will attempt to put them into a few categories, using books that Cooper and I both love.  Your child probably has many that he/she loves that I don’t mention.

Dr. Seuss:  These are classic.  I remember my parents reading me The Cat in the Hat Comes Back when I was a kid.  Many people cite Green Eggs and Ham as the first book their child learned to read.  Dr. Seuss wrote it after his publisher challenged him to write a book using not more than 50 different words.  The rhythm, repetitiveness and limited vocabulary make it easy for children to begin reading on their own.  Another interesting factoid about Dr. Seuss: his real name was Theodore Seuss Geisel.  He wrote under the name “Theo LeSieg” (“Geisel” spelled backward) when he wrote books that he didn’t illustrate himself.

Other Classics: Old classics are constantly coming out in new forms.  I enjoy reading these to Cooper as he relates to the modern illustrations and, in some cases, updated language.

Books Designed to Teach Concepts:  Teaching your child his ABC’s, how to count or factual information doesn’t need to be a chore.  He can learn while sitting in your lap, relaxing and enjoying a book together.  There are thousands of books available that teach useful things.  You can begin “homeschooling” your child without either of you even realizing you have done it.

Rhyming Books:  Besides Dr. Seuss, there are a myriad of other books that are written in rhyme.  These books are easily memorized by children (and probably by you too).  Cooper was “reading” some of these books cover to cover almost as soon as he could talk because the rhymes stuck in his head.  Memorizing is a first step in reading, and over time, children will begin to associate the written words with the ones they are quoting.

Bible Story Books:  I am a big fan of these.  These books instill in children a love for precious Bible stories that they will likely carry with them for the rest of their lives.

Lift the Flap Books:  “Spot” is a favorite of Cooper’s, and it is one of many lift-the-flap books that young children love.  Even I am always curious about what is underneath.

Little Golden Books:  These, too, are books that I remember from my childhood.  I don’t think they’re in print anymore in this format; I got most of these at Goodwill.  I personally don’t like books that promote TV shows, movies, etc., a popular topic in these books, so not all of them have appeal for me, but there are still many that do, and I am always excited when I see the familiar “golden” spine on the shelf when I am perusing through potential books to buy.

Touch and Feel Books: Great for young children, Dorling Kindersley has a wonderful series, but there are many others available as well.

Eric Carle:  I love Eric Carle’s cut-paper illustrations, and his books are designed to teach concepts such as counting, telling time and facts about animals. 

Margaret Wise Brown:  Deceased since 1952, Margaret Wise Brown’s Goodnight Moon is still on the shelf of millions of homes where young children reside, but she has also written a number of other books that we love.  Big Red Barn uses rhyme to teach what life is like in a day on the farm as well as incorporating other learning concepts such as colors and counting.

Baby Einstein: This series of videos, flash cards, books and more is very educational and enjoyable for children.  These books teach facts but also contain captivating illustrations.  Windows to Color contains a number of classic pieces of artwork, something rarely found in children’s books.

Richard Scarry: A childhood favorite of my husband's, these books are fun for children to look at and help build their vocabulary.  They contain many labeled pictures of objects that children can learn to identify.

Biscuit, by Alyssa Satin Capucilli, is a personal favorite of Cooper’s.  Biscuit is a little dog who is always getting into some sort of mischief, but who is continually loved by “the little girl” (whose name is never revealed and whose parents are never seen).  It is easy reading and will probably be among the first books Cooper reads on his own.  This particular volume contains 10 separate Biscuit stories.

A Sick Day for Amos McGee, by Philip and Erin Stead, is another favorite of both Cooper’s and mine.  Geeky but loveable, Amos takes care of the animals at the zoo, until one day when he is sick and the animals all come to his house and take care of him.

 

I have only scratched the surface, but hopefully I have given you some information you can use to help you choose from the millions of wonderful books available for young children.

Reading to Children

Here are some tips on reading books to children.  Don’t let this discourage you or make you think reading is not beneficial if you don’t do these things.  I think ANY reading to children is great for them, but if you incorporate one or more of these ideas when you read, you may make it even more so.  Obviously, different ones are appropriate for different ages.

1.  Slow down.  Don’t be in a hurry.  Take the time to look at the pictures on the page together, talk about them.  If there are pictures hidden under flaps, let your child open them.

2.   Ask questions: “What color is this?” “Do you see a ball?”  “How many fish are there?”  “What does a pig say?”  “What shape is this?”

3.  Point to pictures on the page as you read about them.

4.  Incorporate a reading lesson.  Many books begin with a larger, decorative letter.   Ask your child what letter it is, and talk about what starts with that letter.  Begin teaching sight words: have your child spell out the letters of words that are easy to recognize (in the title, on a stop sign, etc.) and say the word.  Point to words as you read them.  In a book your child is familiar with, stop at random times and let your child fill in the next word (whether he’s reading it or saying it from memory).

5.  Make it exciting.  Read words like “Hooray!” with expression.  Take on different voices for different characters.  Act out sound effects: yawning, knocking, etc.

6.  Teach your child to think about the plot.  “What do you think is going to happen next?”

7.  Incorporate books into life: “Look, there’s a car transporter, like we saw in your truck book.”  After reading a book about the moon, clouds, fireflies, etc., go outside and see them.  Read a book about the zoo before or after going to the zoo and talk about what you did or didn’t see.

8.  If you read about a place ("Lions live in Africa"), find that place on a map or globe.

Reading is such a great opportunity for early learning, not to mention cuddling, spending time together and otherwise interacting.  Read as much as you can!  I've been reading to Cooper since he was an infant.  I hope I am instilling in him a love for books and for learning that he will never outgrow.

My brother reading to Cooper and his cousins

Reading

I have an education degree, and if you asked me what one thing you could do for your children to help them get a good start academically, I wouldn’t need to give it a second thought: read, read, read!

It not only provides a relaxing cuddle time with young children; it will increase their vocabulary and their knowledge about a variety of topics, usually help them learn their letters and how to read sooner and instill in them a love of reading that will last a lifetime.

It doesn’t have to be expensive.  The most obvious source of free books is your local library, but there is a wealth of other places to get books free or very inexpensively.

If you’re not familiar with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, you’re missing out!  Children from birth through age five can get a free book mailed to them every month just for signing up.  No strings attached!  I got Cooper involved just a couple of months after he was born, and we have gotten a lot of great books.  I always look forward to seeing what he will get each month.  (At this point that excites me more than it does him, but he enjoys reading them.)

Seriously, these (plus a few more) were all free!

I buy a lot of books at thrift stores (Goodwill is my favorite), garage sales and used bookstores.  Amazon.com also sells used books, but there is usually an extra charge for postage.

Although I’m partial to having a good, old-fashioned book in my hand, there are a lot of free or very inexpensive e-books available for children, and you don’t have to have a tablet computer to read them; they will download onto any computer.  You can go to Amazon and type “free ebooks for children” in the search box and it will bring some up, or you can do a search on your Kindle, Ipad or other device.  Many libraries loan out e-books as well.

This is one Cooper has learned to "read" himself

Cooper and I read when he gets up in the morning, before nap and before bed, and sometimes other times during the day.  It’s always a time we both look forward to.  Our routine is that he picks one book and I pick one, so that he gets to read his favorites, but I make sure the others don’t get overlooked.  I have a “once a day” policy on reading any book (to help maintain my sanity).  My husband reads to him as well, and when grandparents or other people are visiting, I encourage them to read to him.  It’s great bonding time!

Reading with Dad and Granddad