Reading is a child's entrance into a world beyond what they can see and hear. If a love of reading is instilled early in a child's life, it will take them further than any other past-time they take up.
Tips for turning children into readers
- Read aloud from earliest childhood. This time together can often extend well into middle-school years. Children love to “hear” stories.
- Let your children see you read. Not magazines, books!
- Instill a respect for books early. Have a special place for books and visit the library early in life, and often. Include bookstores in trips to the mall even if just to browse.
- When things get hectic and you need some peace, declare 10 minutes of DEAR time - Drop Everything And Read. That includes you. Set a timer and everyone in the house reads for 10 minutes.
- Use audio books for car rides and waiting in line for things. The child will love a cassette or DVD player dedicated to books for times like these.
There are some books that are must haves/must reads for children as they learn to love reading. Below is a list of age-appropriate selections. Any of these can be found in a library, online, or in most major bookstores. Some may even be selections for story time at local children's bookstores or libraries. You may recognize some from your childhood. Rediscover them with your children.
Ages 0-5
- Goodnight Moon
- The Very Hungry Caterpillar
- ANY Dr. Seuss book
- On The Night You Were Born
- Where the Wild Things Are
- Make Way for Ducklings
- The Little Engine That Could
- Curious George
- The Tales of Peter Rabbit
- Babar
- Black on White
- Tomie dePaola's Mother Goose
- Pat the Bunny
- Ages 3-7
- Winnie the Pooh series
- Stuart Little
- Corduroy
- Paddington Bear
- Harold and the Purple Crayon
- Tikki Tikki Tembo
- Madeline
- Ages 6-10
- Tom Sawyer
- The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
- Pippi Longstocking
- Beezus and Ramona
- Superfudge
- The Little Prince
- Stellaluna
- Charlotte's Web
- The Polar Express
- From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
- Bunnicula
- Ages 8-12
- The Yearling
- Anne of Green Gables
- Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing
- Sarah Plain and Tall
- Henry Huggins
- Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh
- The Incredible Journey
- Old Yeller
- Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes
- The Indian in the Cupboard
- How to Eat Fried Worms
- Giving Tree
- Where the Sidewalk Ends
- A Light in the Attic
- Chronicles of Narnia
- The Little House series
- Little Women
- Inkheart
- The Boxcar Children
- Tuck Everlasting
