Reading Early Part 2: Book Selection for Infants & Toddlers

Writing a children’s book is no easy task. In the publishing world, children’s literature is considered the hardest in which to succeed. Your audience, while small and sweet, can be a harsh critic. When they do not like a book, they don’t hesitate to slide off your lap and go play elsewhere or emphatically toss the book aside with a definite “no!” So for those of us without an education background or lots of experience around small children, how do you choose a good book?

Which Books?

Books come in countless forms these days. Even the same title will be offered in various presentations, including:

-board (small or mini-sized, sturdy cardboard)

-oversized board (great for reading aloud to more than one child; great gifts for a preschool or child care class)

-cloth

-softback

-traditional hardback

-”collections”

-books on tape/CD

-books on DVD

-electronic form such as “Leapster”

-bath

I intentionally have listed “bath” books last to emphasize my recommendation against these books. Bath books are generally constructed with PVC/vinyl, with foam inside the pages to allow for buoyancy. PVC/vinyl has been found to contain phalates and other chemicals that are harmful to children. Young children will quickly put these books in his or her mouth, and even older children can be exposed from simply touching them or soaking in the bath with them. Best to avoid these books altogether until a safe form of plastic book is created for this purpose. Alternatively, reading during bathtime can be very enjoyable, so grab a favorite book and read aloud tubside.

Now that we have an idea about the different types of books that are out there, we can discuss which books are best for children of different ages and stages.

Baby’s First Library

So you want to start your baby’s library! I would recommend hands down board books to be the bulk of your baby’s books until your child approaches her second birthday. Board books are sturdy and well-constructed, ready to be chewed, dropped in the bathtub (by accident of course!), sprinkled with crushed cheerios in the back of the car, and read over and over again. By the time my second boy came along, the only board books that needed to be replaced were those with flaps or pop-ups.

If you have not been around children’s books in a long time, you will probably have sticker shock when you start looking to begin or add to your baby’s collection. Board books are small and compact, but they are expensive. Their average price is around $6, ranging in price from about $4 to as much as $12! (Eric Carle books are wonderful, but notoriously pricey) Needless to say the bill can run up quickly when you are picking out these cute little books. A good reason to have a book registry (local bookstore or Amazon)! When my husband and I were expecting our first, we agreed to pick out 1 or 2 titles each time we were at the bookstore.

The number of titles that are now available in board book format has grown tremendously in recent years. Titles now include the “classics” such as Goodnight Moon (Brown) and The Carrot Seed (Krauss) allowing you to share books that were most likely a part of your own childhood. Books that I would call “modern classics” comprise a large number of the titles that you will see at Barnes and Noble, such as Jamberry (Degas), Hippos Go Beserk (Boynton), and Freight Train (Crews). These books have been reprinted in board book format, and you will be hard-pressed not to find most popular titles from the last 20 years as a board book. More recently, new titles that are only printed as board books have emerged. The popular “My First Board Book” series (DK publishers) and the “Little” finger puppet books series (Chronicle Books) are two noteworthy examples. (*Note: Just because a book is a “board book” does not mean it is the right match for an infant or young toddler. There are many preschool level books that have been published in board book format that are not really appropriate for infants or toddlers. If the book has a large amount of text on each page (in story format) it is probably too advanced and will bore your child. Examples include Owl Babies (Waddell) and The Runaway Bunny (Brown). Best to purchase these worthy titles in softback for an older toddler and beyond.)

So which titles to get?

Reading to your child is the most important thing. It is wonderful if you are able to create a diverse and plentiful library--but not necessary if this is not feasible. Babies under a year old will delight in just a few titles that can be read again and again. Remember that these books will no doubt make it to your child’s mouth, so be prepared for a little drool while you read aloud.

Babies less than 6 months of age are still developing their eyesight. Babies 4 months and younger have yet to develop full color vision and are still near-sighted. So at least a few of your early selections should include books that are printed in high contrast black and white with larger images. More specifically, books that include patterns and faces will be of particular interest to your baby. It is also important to pick a book that you enjoy reading. Whether it be the illustrations that draw you in, or the easy to read rhyming pattern, if you are enthusiastic and enjoy reading, than your child will enjoy listening to you. Generally speaking, the books that you select for a young baby (under age 1) should have only 1 line per page, or perhaps no words at all. Don’t expect to always be able to finish a book with a young child. Talking about what you see during your shared experience is all you need sometimes. Once he or she is able to help turn the pages, you will be lucky to read 2 pages in their entirety! Learning to turn pages is an important step in book knowledge and reading schema. A few choices might include: The Begin Smart books (Stages 1&2), Peek-a-Who? (Laden), The “Little” Finger Puppet books, Peekaboo! books (DK), and My Animals (Deneux).

Toddlers will become increasingly sophisticated in their interest and attention span for books soon after they start walking. This is no coincidence. Walking is such a huge developmental milestone for a child physically, it is hard for him to focus on much of anything else until he has reached his goal of mobility. Once reached, the brain is “freed up” to begin some cognitive leaps that you can sometimes see on a daily basis. A toddler is not just a passive listener to your reading sessions. She is becoming an active participant, excited to be making connections between the illustrations she sees and the words she hears with the rest of her world that is growing everyday. Look for books that have objects, settings, and routines that are a part of your child’s world. Labeled books are fun for your child as he begins to talk. You can make your reading time together interactive by asking your child to point things out in the book or in the room, rereading a special book two or more times, emphasizing the patterns and rhymes that are in the book, singing along to a book that follows a song, taking a themed book along on a family field trip, and making books part of a bedtime ritual. Titles to look for include Jamberry (Degas), School Bus (Crews), Touch and Feel books (DK), Big Red Barn (Brown), Sheep in a Jeep (Shaw), Dog/Cat (Van Fleet), Tip Tip, Dig Dig (Garcia), Dear Zoo (Campbell) and Time for Bed (Fox).

As your child reaches the age of two, he will have developed an attention span sufficient to allow him to sit through longer board book stories (Dig Dig Digging by Mayo or The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Carle). You can “test” this growth by trying longer softback/hardback books, such as a Curious George or Llama, Llama, Red Pajama (Dewdney). Don’t be surprised or concerned if your child loses interest after a few pages. The longer format, smaller words, and more complex story may appear overwhelming at first. Try again a few days later. Before you know it, she will be ready and excited to explore these “big kid” books.

Upcoming Part 3: A Well-Rounded Book Diet!