Reading to children in the first five years of life supports brain development, builds vocabulary and social-emotional skills, and prepares children for school. Adults can help children become lifelong readers and learners by nurturing their love of reading early and showing them that books are fun and reading is enjoyable. Interactive books, books that ask questions of the reader, and funny books are all great for helping children realize that books are fun.
Some children’s books are specifically designed and written for children to touch the pages and interact with the book. Press Here, opens a new window, by Hervé Tullet, has simple illustrations in primary colors, with instructions on each page. On one page, the reader is asked to touch the yellow dot, then turn the page, where there are now two yellow dots. Next, the reader is asked to press the yellow dot again, and, on the next page, there are three dots. These books make small children marvel, laugh, and maybe feel like books are a bit magical.
Tap the Magic Tree, opens a new window, by Christie Matheson, is similarly interactive, asking the reader to tap the limbs of the bare tree in the book, then turn the page. On the next page, there is a leaf on the tree. The reader is instructed to tap the tree four times, and, on the next page, there are four more leaves on the tree. Additional pages with instructions to rub the tree, gently jiggle the book, and blow the tree a kiss lead to the tree gaining blossoms, bees, and apples.
Books with flaps encourage children to investigate the book and guess what is behind each flap. Karen Katz has several lift-the-flap board books that draw in babies and toddlers by encouraging them to turn the flap and see what is hiding. Accompanying questions encourage verbal exchange with the adult reader, a powerful tool for brain development in children. In Zoom, Zoom, Baby!, opens a new window the text on one page reads “Is Baby on the bus?” and, when the child turns the flap (the bus door), they find a monkey. A perfect time for the adult reader to say “Is that a silly monkey?” and make a little one laugh.
Books that ask questions of the reader draw children in and make them participants in the experience. A House, opens a new window, by Kevin Henkes, asks simple questions about the illustrations on the pages. “Where is the sun? Is it up?" “Where are the clouds?” Depending on the age and abilities of the child, they may be able to point to the illustrations to answer the questions after an adult reads them, or verbally answer the questions, or even engage in a short discussion about what else is in the illustrations.
In I Went Walking, opens a new window, by Sue Williams, each page’s illustration has a clue to help the child answer the repeating question, “What did you see?" An adult reader can point to the clue and ask “What do you think that is?” In “Can You Growl Like A Bear?” by John Butler, each page has a question for the child, asking them to make a certain animal noise. “Can you chatter like a chimp?” “Can you buzz like a honeybee?” Children enjoy making animal sounds, and the questions throughout the book encourage that interest by building it into the reading experience.
Humor is often a great motivator for children, and sharing a funny book is a wonderful way to show a child how fun reading is. The Elephant & Piggie series, by Mo Willems, is as much fun for adults to read out loud as it is for children to listen. In We Are in A Book!, opens a new window children will be tickled when Elephant and Piggie realize they are in a book and that someone (the reader) is looking at them and reading the words they say.
Other silly books that will make children giggle and want to read the book again include Problem Solved!, opens a new window by Jan Thomas; Bark, George, opens a new window, by Jules Feiffer; Little Freddie Two Pants, opens a new window, by Drew Daywalt; Pop! Goes the Nursery Rhyme, opens a new window, by Betsy Bird; and Count the Monkeys, opens a new window, by Mac Barnett.
All these titles–plus, thousands more–can be found at Central Rappahannock Regional Library. Continue to encourage a love of reading at a Grow a Reader storytime for children ages five and under. The schedule of storytime classes can be found at librarypoint.org/storytimes, opens a new window.
Darcie Caswell is Director of Youth Services at CRRL. This column originally appeared in The Free Lance-Star newspaper.
