Reading stories to children helps them acquire essential language skills and introduces them to the many intricacies and complexities of the language. Choosing age-appropriate books to read to children is of great importance as it helps them identify with the story as well as the characters and encourages them to actively participate in the reading experience. Books that are either too difficult or too easy will leave children feeling baffled and bored.
Exposing children to books from different genres captures their curiosity and engages their imagination. Here then are a few books from different genres that are great for reading to children.
Spot goes to the park by Eric Hill and Clap Your Hands are participation books. These books are particularly exciting for younger kids who would be absolutely delighted to participate by clapping their hands or touching their toes or whatever other action the book suggests. Peeking under lift-the-flap-books offers a special kind of joy.
Rhyming Books such as Is Your Mama a Llama by Deborah Guarino and Jamberry by Bruce Degen provide lots of scope for reading with emotion and for adding an element of mystery and excitement by varying the tone as well as the loudness of the voice. Rhyming books help children focus on the different sounds in words.
Picture Storybooks tell the story using text as well as illustrations and are especially designed keeping younger children in mind. The short and simple story line is supported by clear and colorful artwork and illustrations that encourage help little minds see the story through pictures. Flower Garden by Eve Bunting and Quick as a Cricket by Don and Audrey Wood are great picture storybooks for reading to little children.
Nursery Rhymes have been an eternal favorite down the ages and are often passed on from one generation to the next from memory. However, accompanied by simple yet colorful illustrations, a compilation of Mother Goose nursery rhymes take on a special meaning. Children who listen to their parents read nursery rhymes to them will probably do the same with their children, creating an impromptu family tradition that forms a bond between different generations. The Real Mother Goose by Blanche Fish Wright and Richard Scarry's Best Mother Goose Ever by Richard Scarry feature time-proven Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes accompanied by delightful illustrations.
Non-fiction Informational Books cover diverse topics that children are naturally interested in including vehicles, animals and birds, parts of the body, sport and cultures of the world. Books that have labeled illustrations promote language learning through association. Dinosaur Bones by Bob Barner is a non-fiction informational book that is sure to delight boys of all ages, whereas little girls would prefer reading From Wheat to Pasta by Robert Egan.
