Your child will be home for spring vacation soon and you’re struggling to think of activities for them to do. If your youngster is just beginning to read by themselves and seems to enjoy it, well then, your answer to your problem is staring you in the face. Reading can be a fun activity for kids! To nurture their love of reading, you should take a special interest in selecting books that will assist in developing great reading skills in addition to being fun to read. Once you’ve got a pile of books from your local book store or public library, then find a comfy spot on the couch or snuggle up in a chair and read a few books together. So what are some good books for novice readers? Let’s explore six wonderful children’s books for your little one—there might even be one or two in this list that you recognize from your own childhood!
Don Freeman’s “Corduroy” – This fantastic book has been entertaining kids for many years and seems to be more popular now than when it was first published. The story follows a cute little brown bear that sits on a shelf in a toy store waiting to be adopted by a little girl or boy. When a little girl wants her mother to buy him, her mother refuses because his missing button makes him look old. Corduroy decides to go on a search for the missing button in hopes of going home with that little girl. Your child will love reading this book over and over again and they’ll learn values of compassion and hope.
Eric Carle’s “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” – For more than 30 years children have been enjoying this book about a hungry caterpillar. He eats and eats and becomes so full that he gets very sleepy and makes a cocoon. This is a wonderful book that will also help your youngster learn how caterpillars transform into butterflies.
Arnold Lobel’s “Frog and Toad are Friends” – Frog and Toad are the best of friends and do everything together. Go along on their adventures of swimming, writing letters or finding buttons. Children that are just beginning to read will love these tales and learn how to be a good friend because Frog and Toad are always around for one another through good times and bad.
Julia Donaldson’s “Room on the Broom” –A friendly, cheerful witch is the subject of this tale. She and her cat fly about on her broom; but she keeps dropping items as she flies. Along her journey, she meets many new animals including a muddy monster and hungry dragon and they all learn about being friends. School-age children will love the surprise ending as well as the big, bold, easy to read font and appealing illustrations.
Judith Viorst’s “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day" – This book’s hero, Alexander, has what seems to be the most horrible day of his life when he awakens with gum in his hair—and his day only gets worse from there! This seasoned writer teaches her readers that, at some point in our lives, we’re bound to have awful days.
Fiona Watt’s “That’s Not My Puppy” – This story is great for toddlers in addition to beginning readers. This book not only let’s kids read the story of little mouse on the colorful pages but also builds sensory skills by touching the patches of various materials such as bumpy paws and fluffy tails. Your beginning reader will get so much more from these books than just better reading skills and the two of you will create a better bond.
There are so many more books out there to choose from; but the next time you’re off to the book store or library, bring your child along and allow them to select a book on their own; that will go a long way in increasing their reading enthusiasm even more. As Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis used to say:
“There are many little ways to enlarge your child's world. Love of books is the best of all."