Ashley has been a kindergarten teacher for six years now, and I'd say she knows a thing or two about the importance of reading at a young age. No matter what stage of life you find yourself in, whether you have babies of your own or aren't even close to thinking about having kids, you are going to want to bookmark this post for future reference! This is some good stuff, y'all. So without further ado, let's turn it over to Ash!
Hi there! I'm Ashley, Lesley Anne's sister and Jenny's friend. Because I teach kindergarten and have a deep love of children's books, they asked me to make a list of the top ten children's books. That is a Herculean task, as there is no such thing as a top 10 children's book list. There are too many wonderful books that could fit into that category, thus defying the parameters of a list of only 10. So this top ten list will include genres that all young children (0-6) should have in their library for both their enjoyment and for learning basic concepts. If you are looking to start a library for your child, or need a gift idea for that next baby shower or child's birthday, then look no further!
(1) A Treasury of Nursery Rhymes - This is always my first recommendation for children’s books and often a go-to gift I give at baby showers. A child who has a strong background knowledge of nursery rhymes will most likely have more success learning to read. I always start my year off with nursery rhymes in my kindergarten class. It is never too early to start reading and reciting these with children. My niece has been hearing them since she was in the cradle, and she can recite sing many of them as a 2 year old! Pick one with great illustrations or one that comes with a sing-along CD or download. Here are two that I have purchased over the years for friends and family: Favorite Nursery Rhymes from Mother Goose by Scott Gustafson and Nursery Rhymes by Roger Priddy.
(3) Non-fiction Texts – Nonfiction may not sound as interesting, but kids love it! This genre is also being used more and more in lower grades, so getting your child aquatinted with this type of book will be very helpful! Why not start with an always fave among kids - animals! Or whatever topic is of interest to your child whether it be space, fire trucks, or ice-skating. Pebble Plus (a book publisher) books include tons of nonfiction titles with fantastic illustrations and easy text for emerging readers and/or young listeners. Search Pebble Plus through Amazon or click the links to see many of their titles.
(5) Counting books - Counting is another basic skill young children can practice through literature. Some kid favorites include Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed by Eileen Christelow and Mouse Count by Ellen Stoll Walsh. Some books are less obvious counting books but ARE nonetheless, such as The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle.
(6) Rhyming books - Books that have a good pattern and play with language through the use of rhymes are easy and fun on the ears, but also help develop basic reading skills. With this in mind, who would be better than Dr. Seuss to include in a children’s library? Pick up Hop on Pop and One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish right away! If Seuss isn’t your jam try Sheep in a Jeep by Nancy E. Shaw or Jamberry by Bruce Degen.
(7) Color books - Colors are yet another concept that can be reinforced through great literature! Peeble Plus has great non-fiction color books. Some kid-approved favorites are Brown Bear Brown Bear by Bill Martin Jr. Illustrated by Eric Carle and of course, the newest big hit on the children’s trade book scene – Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes by Eric Litwin.
(8) A good read aloud – Most children can comprehend far more than they can read by themselves. Listening to good literature and to good readers read is another way to develop basic reading skills. Towards the end of the kindergarten year, I introduce my students to a non-trade book (picture filled) read aloud through the children’s classic, Charlotte's Web by E.B. White. They LOVE it! Having kids begin to visualize what they are hearing is a great brain building and comprehension exercise!
(9) Something Just for Fun - Its great to have books that just make you laugh! My students’ all-time favorites in the laugh department are any of the Piggy and Elephant books by Mo Wilems. These two characters, Piggy and Gerald the Elephant are best friends. The books are about their conversations on hilarious situations and topics, which are written in speech bubbles. The illustrations also give great clues as to what the two characters are feeling. I’ve never seen such fantastic illustrations of body language! Our school library has many titles from this series, but they are always checked out. The kids are CRAZY about them! Little do they know, but they are getting great reading fluency practice when they read them!
(10) Your childhood favorites – Kids tend to love the books we love. Magic seems to happen when we read a book we love aloud to a child. They tend to fall in love with it too. Two of mine were Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown and Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans. I have a strong suspicion these were some of my mother’s favorites too.
Developing a child’s love for literature can begin before they are ever born through beginning to build their own personal library, and adding to it even while they are still very young. Many of these books can be purchased as board books or in other baby friendly materials.
Thank you for allowing me to post about some of my children’s book favorites. I had way too much fun doing it! As you can tell, I could write a top 10 list for each of these categories! What was your favorite book as a child? Do you have any other book recommendations for starting a child’s personal library?
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