How to Choose Kids Children Books?

Reading is an important skill for future learning. Here are some tips for choosing good books for infants and toddlers. Parents, caregivers, and guardians may find these tips helpful.

The following tips sheet is provided courtesy of the National Center for Family Literacy (NCFL).

Infants: Birth to 6 Months

• Content. Choose books with large pictures or bright and bold illustrations set against a contrasting background. Look for books that have simple pictures, one per page.
• Language. Infants will enjoy looking through wordless picture books, or books that have just a single word along with a big picture. But also try books that contain phrases or short sentences. It's important for infants to hear language. Nursery rhymes and verse books are good for this age, too.
• Design. Books for infants should be interesting and appealing to look at. Try stiff cardboard books, books with fold-out pages that create colorful panels, cloth or soft vinyl books, and books with handles.
• Reading Aloud. Infants want your full attention, so try reciting rhymes and songs that you remember by heart. Also, try reading to your infant while she has a toy to hold. Reading at bedtime is always a nice way to end the day!

Infants: 7 to 12 Months

• Content. Children this age will enjoy books with medium to large photos and bright, bold illustrations. Look for books that have simple drawings of familiar things, actions, and events.
• Language. Children begin to key into content and can relate pictures to their world. While they still enjoy picture books, try some books with simple stories that have one line of text per page.
• Design. Infants this age like to handle cloth and vinyl books, and cardboard books with stiff, thick pages.
• Reading Aloud. As your baby gets older, try this four-part interaction sequence:
  1. Get your baby's attention by pointing out something in a book. ("Look!")
  2. Ask a labeling question. ("What's that?")
  3. Wait for your baby to respond, verbally or non-verbally. If necessary, provide the answer yourself. ("That's a monkey!")
  4. Acknowledge your baby's response. ("Yes" or repeat your baby's word.) If your baby mislabels the picture, correct him in a positive manner. ("Yes, it's brown like a dog, but it's a monkey.")

Keep in mind that you may not get through a whole book in one reading. As your child starts to explore books, support her progress by watching, listening, and acknowledging.

Infants: 12 to 18 months

• Content. For children this age, try books with pictures of familiar characters, like animals, children, TV characters, or adults in familiar roles. Look for books that have action pictures - your baby is starting to be able to enjoy pictures with more details.
• Language. This is a great age to try books with songs and repetitive verses. Books that have a simple story line that relates to your child's own experiences will also have appeal. You might also look for theme books that show a series of related pictures and a few words. These books follow a progression of simple activities, but don't try to introduce a plot or complex storyline.
• Design. Even though your baby is growing fast, she'll still enjoy playing with books with handles and books with stiff, thick pages. And she'll still like having these books read to her. Books with thinner pages that are plastic-coated are also a good choice for this age.
• Reading Aloud. Your infant will probably still enjoy reading with you as he sits on your lap or close to you in a comfortable chair. This helps your baby associate reading with feeling secure. Connecting sounds with the pictures he sees in the books will make reading together even more fun. Make your own sounds, and don't be surprised if your baby joins in! You may also notice your child looking through the book alone and making noises (sometimes called "book babble").

Toddlers: 19 to 30 Months

• Content. Toddlers will continue to enjoy books with familiar characters, but they also will begin to take interest in pictures filled with information, action, and detail. Try some short stories, cause and effect stories, and fictional books that describe a problem or circumstance to overcome.
• Language. Try predictable books with repeated text, words that rhyme, and pictures that correspond to the text. Books with songs and repetitive verses are still a good choice for this age.
• Design. Toddlers can enjoy books with paper pages—but will still like books with a picture on every page and just a little bit of text.
• Reading Aloud. Let your toddler decide if she wants to sit on your lap while you read, or next to you on the couch or floor. Follow her cues. Talk about the characters and events in the story, relating them to your child's own experiences. Pause when you read aloud to let your child fill in a word or phrase. This works great with rhyming and repetitive books.

Written by the National Center for Family Literacy.

There is such a wide variety of books to choose from for young children, selecting them can often be a confusing and difficult task. Over 2,000 new children’s books are published every year, not to mention your childhood favorites, award-winning classics, and books that are on the front shelf in all the bookstores. Here are some simple suggestions to help you select good quality literature for your child from the many books that are available.

Infants

A newborn’s eyesight is not fully developed at birth. They see best from about 12 inches, which is perfect if you are holding your child and gazing into his eyes. Here are some additional characteristics to keep in mind when choosing books for babies:

• Choose small books that are easy for you to hold and turn the page while you are holding your baby.
• Look for books with black-and-white designs or with bright colors and highly contrasting images. This makes it easier for your baby to focus as her eyes grow stronger.
• Books should be simple, with one or two objects on a page surrounded by lots of empty space and very few words.
• Choose soft vinyl or cloth books that your child can use in the bath. Books should be durable since they are chewed on, tossed, dragged around and pulled on.

Older Infants

Oral language is important, so books with a single word and picture help infants learn that pictures have meanings. Books with simple sentences or nursery rhymes are enjoyable for older infants. These young children delight in listening to rhythmic and rhyming text. Here are some additional characteristics to keep in mind:

• Choose board books with rounded edges and thick pages to make turning the pages easier.
• Choose books that have large pictures or designs, or photos of other babies or family members.
• Choose books that encourage further investigation. Older babies enjoy peek-a-boo, pop-up or lift-the-flap books, as well as books with hidden surprises. They like books that are soft and furry with lots of texture, scents and even mirrors.

Toddlers

Toddlers are constantly on the move and might not sit in one place for very long. One thing toddlers still need every day is for you to read books with them. They enjoy books with lots of action about everyday experiences that help them explore and understand their world. As you choose books for toddlers:

• Look for small sturdy board books with a few or no words on the page. Books with no words allow children to make up their own stories and develop their imagination.
• Toddlers relish large colorful pictures and photographs with simple story lines. The lift-the-flap, touch-and-feel, interactive and sensory exploration books provide much interest at this age.
• Concept books launch topics like animals, feelings, colors, numbers, shapes and letters. Predictable text, rhymes and stories with funny sounding words are all fun to read aloud.
• Try some books that show children doing common things and that tell simple stories. Goodnight books for bedtime are great to help toddlers wind down at the end of a very active day.
• Books with songs, poetry and repetitive text are easy for toddlers to memorize and read or sing along.
• Choose books about familiar and comforting things like mealtime, saying goodbye and other routine activities.
• Your child’s favorite characters may attract his attention, but be sure to check out the story; sometimes they are too long and won’t hold the attention of your child. Instead, you could just talk about the pictures.

Preschoolers

Your little ones are beginning to grow up. Books for preschoolers should have simple stories with basic plots, engaging illustrations and a fun text that lends itself to being read aloud. The storyline should move rapidly so it can be read in one session. It’s time for more intricate story composition using repetitive phrases and sounds that young children can repeat and remember. Try to choose books that have the following characteristics for your preschooler:

• Select books that promote imagination and solve problems in a creative way. Young children enjoy books about real-life circumstances that mirror their concerns. They enjoy stories about going to school, playing with friends and sharing with others.
• Remember that illustrations still are a great fascination.
• Choose lots of ABC books, counting books and simple information books about dinosaurs, trains, trucks, animals, insects, geography or construction. A soothing bedtime story for sweet dreams is always a nice way to end the day.
• Look for books with nursery rhymes and poetry.
• Predictable books allowing children to fill in the blanks, guess what comes next, or make predictions about sentences, phrases and words are intriguing.
• Introduce your children to cultures around the world that are different from theirs.
• Present opportunities to learn about families and making friends. Books about having brothers and sisters are a great way to introduce the pending arrival of a new sibling.

When it comes to choosing good books, no matter your child’s age, choose books you and your child will enjoy! Young children often like to hear the same story over and over. Children who love shared book reading often become lifelong readers who make good literature a part of their lives.