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Books to read to babies, toddlers and preschoolers

Primary schools
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The importance of reading to a child is universally acknowledged. Books not only teach sentence structure, grammar, and vocabulary, but they allow the child`s imagination to soar, introducing them to a wide range of characters to accompany them through the story. Some would argue that a television or computer can offer all these things, that there have never been more children`s shows - but a screen is no competition for the page, which allows the imagination to travel unbounded. A television show will clearly depict all the action and scenery of the story, requiring little active involvement from the viewer; a written story however, consisting of nothing but words, demands the reader to construct the scenery and characters from their own mind, demanding intellectual participation from them that stretches their imagination.

No child is too young to be exposed to the world of literature. Studies have shown that even in the womb the baby is learning, and that during the last 10 weeks of pregnancy and at birth the child can clearly demonstrate what they have heard. With such early and natural receptivity to language, babies will benefit from being read to from their very first days of life. Even though a baby will not be able to follow all the intricacies of a story, they will be attentive to a picture book that is being read by a parent, and will come to form an appreciation for the printed page.

Booktrust is the UK`s largest reading charity, each year providing `3.9 million children across the UK with books, resources and support.` They have helpfully provided a breakdown of the 100 best books for children of different age groups. The books listed below are amongst the ones they have classed to be most suitable for babies, toddlers and preschoolers up to around six years of age, though older children will certainly still be able to appreciate some of them.

Each Peach Pear Plumb

Published in 1978, this famous book was created by the popular illustrator/author husband and wife team Janet and Allan Ahlberg. Each lavishly illustrated page invites the reader to look into the home of characters from popular nursery rhymes. The child will delight in seeing Tom Thumb at home sitting in his cupboard eating jam, and observing Cinderella as she sweeps up her home. While this book will be best suited for those children who already know their fairy tales and nursery rhymes, it will certainly be one a child will want to be read to again and again, as the fantastic illustrations contain an abundance of hidden detail, which only repeated examinations will reveal.

Where`s Spot?

Where`s spot is another classic children`s book, and one I can remember enjoying. Written by Eric Hill in 1980, the book allows the reader to participate in the hunt for spot the dog, interacting with the book by opening the doors of cupboards, or lifting the lids of boxes. Probably the best known lift-the-flap book, with parts of the page having flaps of cardboard on hinges, the book allows the excitement to build as the child is taken through every room in the house, looking under the stairs, through drawers, until spot the dog is finally found!

The Tiger Who Came to Tea

Written by Judith Kerr, this classic book has recently celebrated its 50th anniversary. The story is about a large and very hungry tiger, who makes an unexpected appearance at the home of Sophie and her mother, who were just sitting down to enjoy their tea when they were startled by the appearance of the famished feline. Keeping their fear in check, the pair happily accede to the tiger`s every request, allowing him to clean out the entire kitchen of food. Satisfied at last the tiger leaves, but when Sophie`s father returns home he is dismayed to find there is nothing left to eat. The family then decide to dine out at a restaurant, and afterwards purchase a large tin of tiger food, in order to appease the tiger should he return the following day.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

This is certainly one of the most famous children`s books ever written. First published in America in 1969, New York Times declared it to be of the `Ten Best Picture Books of the Year.` From that point on it has won numerous accolades, including an American Institute of Graphic Arts Award, the Japanese Nakamori Reader`s Prize and the Selection du Grand Prix des Treize in France. Of course accolades are no guarantee of literary greatness, and its primary audience have little concern with the awards it has won, being interested only with the giant caterpillar and its adventures, which cover the time from its hatching, to its metamorphosis into a giant beautiful butterfly.

The Snowman

A story beloved by both adults and children alike, the book tells the story of a snowman who comes to life, the boy who befriends him, and the great adventure they embark upon, which sees them flying across the oceans, to reach the distant domain of father Christmas in Lapland. Even though it is only a picture book, the story is superbly told through a sequence of cartoon-like images, inviting the parent to tell their own story, supplying the narrative to the series of pictures.

3 years ago
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