Thursday, December 17, 2009

Building the Perfect Children's Library


There is no greater gift you can give your children than a love of books. Reading to your child gives you both wonderful quality time together, and opens up the world of knowledge for you child. It is never too early to start to build your child’s library.

Even the youngest infants love to be read to, and to look at and explore the bright colored pictures. There is a wealth of baby board books available to choose from. Your baby won’t mind if there aren’t even any words. Just the act of holding a book and looking at the pictures is stimulating to young minds.

Some of our favorite baby board books include:

Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown

Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney

Pat the Bunny by Dorothy Kunhardt

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr.

Where Is Baby's Belly Button? by Karen Katz

Here Comes Mother Goose by Iona Archibald Opie

My Very First Mother Goose by Iona Archibald Opie

The Complete Tales of Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne



As your child heads into the toddler years, reading to them becomes even more important. Their little minds are like sponges, and the things you read to them about now will stick with them for a lifetime.

Our favorite toddler books include:

Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown

Chicka Chicka ABC by Bill Martin

Peek-A-Who by Nina Laden

Ten Little Ladybugs by Melanie Gerth & Laura Huliska-Beith

Where's Spot? by Eric Hill

Brown Cow, Green Grass, Yellow Mellow Sun by Ellen B. Jackson

From Head to Toe by Eric Carle

What the Sun Sees, What the Moon Sees by Nancy Tafuri

When You Were a Baby by Ann Jonas

Oh My Baby Bear! by Audrey Wood



The kindergarten aged readers will want to start reading for themselves, though they will still delight in having mom, dad, or big sister read to them.

Some age appropriate books for the kindergarten set include:

Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten by Joseph Slate

Miss Malarkey Doesn't Live in Room 10 by Judy Finchler

First Day, Hooray! by Nancy Poydar

The Night Before Kindergarten by Natasha Wing

Look Out Kindergarten, Here I Come! by Nancy Carlson

Tiptoe Into Kindergarten by Jacqueline Rogers

Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes

If You Take a Mouse to School by Laura Numeroff

The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss

Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss



Young readers will be much more independent in their reading, but they will still need some guidance in choosing books that are at the appropriate level. It is never too soon to start to introduce the classics, and there are many delightful ones just perfect for young readers.

Some of our favorites include

Charlotte's Web by E. B. White

Stuart Little by E. B. White

The Trumpet of the Swan by E. B. White

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl

Eloise by Kay Thompson

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

Black Beauty by Anna Sewell


I hope that you have a great time building your child’s library, and that you have a wonderful time reading and learning together.

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