But when it comes time to choose what to read with children, parents often draw a blank. Many of the places families visit—e.g. bookstores and libraries—display a
vast array of books specifically aimed at the under-five audience. Some are classics from parents’ own childhoods; others are more recent ones that have won literary awards. Some are based on characters from popular children’s television shows; others include buttons which play a musical accompaniment to the text.

With so much to choose from, it’s understandable that parents are left shaking their heads and wondering whether one book is better than the next. Jennifer Birckmayer, co-author of Bookstart: Selected Activities for Babies, Toddlers and Young Children, says those that include beautiful illustrations and inspired story lines truly are more enriching than those that offer nothing more than ads for trendy characters. When choosing books to share with your child, Birckmayer suggests that parents apply the same high standards they would to choosing a well balanced diet for their family. Just as fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains help encourage healthy bodies, reading selections based on certain quality standards are key to helping a child’s imagination and love of reading grow.

Who gets to choose?

Birckmayer says that for some young children, literary decision-making can be overwhelming. If left up to the child, the decision might come down to identification with a familiar television character rather than whether the book meets the types of criteria outlined at right. For this reason, Birckmayer suggests using caution when taking your child along to purchase books.

If a library is convenient, Birckmayer suggests that you and your child go together. But it doesn’t always have to be a family outing. When her own children were young, she and her family lived far from the nearest library, making frequent trips difficult. As a result, her husband would stop on the way home from work and bring home armloads of new books to share with their children. Not only was this more convenient for the family, but it allowed him the time to carefully choose the books and made for an anticipated and exciting event.

• Is the book durable, i.e. is it made from materials that will withstand repeated readings, chewing, handlings? This is an important quality to consider when choosing books for very young children.

• Is the book safe for a young child to handle (no small parts or sharp corners) and made from non-toxic materials?

• Is the book about objects, animals, events or people that children can recognize from their own life? Babies and very young children often
  find books with faces and photographs of children like themselves involved in day-to-day activities fascinating. ("Hey, that little boy has purple boots just like me!") Birckmayer says these types of books help children make the connection that books can hold personal and
  intimate meaning for them.

• Are the illustrations clear and appealing to a young child? Birckmayer says that what might appeal to an adult’s sense of beauty may be too overwhelming to a young child. For this reason, she recommends starting very young children off with books featuring one or two main objects on a page surrounded with plenty of blank space. As children mature and their interests and attention spans expand, books with more detailed illustrations can be added to their repertoire.

• If the book has words or sentences, are they short and simple to understand? As with illustrations, the text will be more meaningful if it doesn’t confuse or overwhelm the child. Birckmayer says books that reflect the types of people and activities that are like those the child regularly experiences provide a sense of comfort and familiarity. Many young children prefer books with realistic story lines for most of their early childhood. Once a child is secure in his or her world, books with fanciful story lines and magical characters become more appropriate. Books such as Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak and Aesop’s Fables fall into this category. Birckmayer suggests using the child’s temperament to determine when to begin adding fantasy books to his/her library.

• Does your child’s reading selection contain books that will help him/her learn about people of many ages and from a variety of cultures? Do they avoid stereotypical portrayals of people?

• Does the book reflect your own family’s values?

Although there are many wonderfully written and beautifully illustrated books available for young children, one way of ensuring that your child will find a book meaningful is to make one together. The following are some ideas for fun bookmaking projects you can do with your children including suggestions for household and craft materials that are readily and inexpensively available. (Remember to use caution when making books for young children that the materials used are safe and toxin-free):

• Make a book featuring family and friends by slipping pictures of the people special to your child into an inexpensive photo album.

• Bind together a series of your child’s illustrations by using a three-hole punch, reinforcing the holes with circular tabs and tying the pages together with yarn. Have your child dictate the text for the book.

• Use leftover holiday cards interspersed with photographs of your child during holiday celebrations as the basis for a keepsake book

• Key into your child’s particular interests. If zoo animals are a favorite, scour the pages of magazines for pictures of lions, polar bears and orangutans. With older children this can become a fun scavenger hunt. Photos can be mounted using glue sticks or paste on oak tag, cardboard or construction paper (with one photo per page for very young children and groups or collages of photos for older children). To insure durability, individual pages can be laminated or preserved with clear contact paper before binding. Older children may like illustrating the cover or margins of pages and dictating, or writing, the text for their book.

• Meaningful photos and words can be slipped inside a series of colorful, ready-made plastic pencil cases designed for three-ring binders. These can then be held together with metal o-rings. Photos and pictures can be added or replaced as the child’s interests change or evolve.

• Books can help children feel safe and secure (as a daily activity, reading can reinforce feelings of safety and comfort when books are about characters that the child can relate to).

• Books help children feel they belong to a family or group.

• Books help children learn about love and may even help them feel loved themselves.

• Books help children understand what it feels like to do something important.

• Books help children find out about things that are interesting to them.

• Books can be fun.

• Books show children beautiful pictures and good writing.

Source — Bookstart: Selected Activities for Babies, Toddlers and Young Children

For permission to reprint this article, please contact the Capital Region BOCES Communications Service by e-mailing dbushsuf@gw.neric.org.

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