The following are suggestions for choosing quality books for young children provided by the Hartford Public Library in Hartford, CT
Consider the following features when choosing books:
- When and where the story takes place (the setting)
- Who is telling the story
- Who is in the story (the characters)
- What is happening (the plot)
- Why it is happening (the theme)
- The way in which the story is told (the style)
Look for books that specifically encourage reading readiness.
- Reading many story and informational books out loud will help your children understand the connection between the printed and spoken word.
- Alphabet books can help your children learn the names and sounds of the letters.
- Toy books, action books, and lift-the flap books can encourage book-handling skills.
- Fairy tales, books in which the characters are talking animals, books of poetry (including Mother Goose books), and books with repeated words, can help your children understand some of the many ways in which book language can be special.
Read aloud every day. As you read, follow the line of text from left to right with your finger. Help children to learn to understand these words as you read: cover, author, title, page, letter, word, sentence, picture. Read with animation, for example, read in a high squeaky voice for a mouse. Encourage questions and conversations during the story. Read a story again and again. And ask your children to read a story from the pictures.