Research and Articles
Research & Articles: Selecting Books
for Children
Marilyn Lopes
Extension Specialist, Family Life Education
Cape Cod Cooperative Extension
University of Massachusetts
Books are an excellent resource for children. They can introduce children to
different people and places, expand their word vocabulary, stimulate their
curiosity, and encourage their intellectual growth. Books also provide a means
for some special and enjoyable moments between adults and children.
Remember the following points when selecting books for children:
INFANTS AND TODDLERS
Babies can enjoy picture books about objects in their world - like clothing
or animals. Cloth books and books made of heavy cardboard are durable and
easy for babies and toddlers to manipulate. This young age likes turning
the pages and listening to you talk about the pictures, too.
PRESCHOOLERS
Preschoolers enjoy books that have a lot of action, pictures and repetition.
They like:
- Stories about themselves or about others their own age.
- Real-life stories (fire engines, bulldozers, tractors, etc.).
- Stories about what animals really do and what people think
animals mean by their sounds (e.g., "Cut-cut-cut-ca-daw-cut!" "I
just laid an egg").
- Repetition of sounds, words, or ideas: "Daddy Bear climbed
the tree. Mommy Bear climbed the tree. Baby Bear climbed the
tree."
- Stories containing funny-sounding words. Examples: "Bzzz
went the honey bee." "Clickety clack, clickety clack
went the train along the track." "The farmer walked
through the snow - crunch, crunch, crunch."
- Stories that can be read in 5-10 minutes with one or two printed
lines on one page.
- Stories with happy endings.
- Books with pictures that almost tell the story.
The best kind of picture book has the following qualities:
- Large, colored pictures with little writing.
- Pictures showing real-life objects and situations that children
recognize readily.
- Pictures in color, with few shadows, details, and lines.
- Pictures showing action (cars going, animals playing, children
climbing, etc.), especially in books for the child over 2 1/2
years old.
- No pictures showing actions you do not want a child to imitate,
such as fighting or breaking toys.
DOCUMENT USE/COPYRIGHT
National Network
for Child Care - NNCC. Part of CYFERNET,
the National Extension Service Children Youth and Family Educational
Research Network. Permission is granted to reproduce these materials
in whole or in part for educational purposes only (not for profit
beyond the cost of reproduction) provided that the author and
Network receive acknowledgment and this notice is included:
Reprinted with permission from the National Network for Child Care -
NNCC. (1993). Selecting books for children. In M. Lopes (Ed.) CareGiver
News (April, p.4). Amherst, MA: University of Massachusetts Cooperative
Extension.
Any additions or changes to these materials must be preapproved by the
author.
COPYRIGHT PERMISSION ACCESS
Gretchen May
Draper Hall
Univeristy of Massachusetts
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