Posted on 12/20/2016
Now that we have you convinced that, yes, your modern child does need a bookshelf — it’s time to start filling it up! What books are “must haves,” and how can you choose from the gazillions of books out there?! Well, there are almost as many lists out there, but what we want to offer you is more of a guide in selecting and adding to your child’s book collection.
Keep the Goals in View
By providing your child with a print-rich environment, you’ll be doing even more than encouraging your child’s literacy level: you’re giving your child some of the best building blocks to create a pattern of life-long learning! For pre-readers, short books with vibrant pictures and memorable lines provide important steps in their literacy development. As they grow into emergent readers, Bob Books are excellent choices because they can quickly delight in the feelings of success that accompany reading an entire book on their own! Vocabulary development and quality content are only part of the equation, but you can encourage those aims by making sure your reading child has a combination of books both at and below his or her current reading level.
Make It Personal
Even more important than providing challenging or classic literature, especially when children are young, is to create a love for books and reading. As Mark Twain once wrote, “A man who does not read has no advantage over the man who cannot read.” And we all want our kids to have as many advantages as possible, right? When it comes to your child’s library, giving your child that advantage means providing your child with books he or she will love — characters to identify with, illustrations to delight in, plot lines to easily follow and enjoy.
Need a few ideas to get started lining your child’s bookshelves? Check out this list below:
• Best picture books of all time (Scholastic)
• Picks for preschoolers (Parents Magazine)
• Top children’s books (Time Magazine)
• Great first novels to read aloud (Read Aloud Revival)
• Ideal reads for adventuresome kids (Excellence in Writing)
• Novel series for struggling readers (Read Aloud Revival)
Create a Growing Collection
If your child’s initial library is going to grow, then you need to create opportunities for that growth. You can do so by attending library sales and book stores and giving them a book stipend with which to work. You can also make it part of your birthday or holiday gift-giving tradition to give them a new book — perhaps from a book “wish list” on a website like Amazon.com. Used books can be found at brick-and-mortar used bookstores, as well as on websites like www.half.com. You can also request that family members and friends consider giving your children books with special notes inside, instead of cards they’ll throw away.
And as beautiful and special as a personal collection may be, you’ll also want to leave room for books from your local lending library. You can help your child go online to reserve books and keep a shelf reserved especially for those you need to return to your local school or community library.
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