As reading specialist Gina Chung Fortt, MEd, says, “reading a variety of texts provides a model for how we can best communicate and build our background knowledge so that we can make connections and continually learn.” When buying children’s books, look for stories with a purpose, or something your child can relate to or is interested in, to help encourage their love of reading. We carefully considered material, age recommendations, quality, teachable moments, and reading level when reviewing products. Here are the best children’s books for the kids in your life. Price at time of publication: $9 Price at time of publication: $18 Price at time of publication: $5 Price at time of publication: $19 Price at time of publication: $20 Price at time of publication: $8 Price at time of publication: $10 Price at time of publication: $8 Price at time of publication: $7 Price at time of publish: $18 Price at time of publication: $18
Teachable Moments
Reading is one of the four pillars of literacy, which also include writing, speaking, and listening. No matter what age your child is, use a reading experience to further a conversation. Fortt shares that “strong readers engage with text and then have the language to talk about it and write about it and listen to others share about it.” The simple act of talking about a book, asking questions, or sharing feelings provides so much to their understanding of themselves and the world around them. In addition to bonding, “the questions we ask, the conversations we have, the thinking aloud about the book—we are providing context and understanding," Fortt explains.
Reading Level
As kids get older, they will learn to be independent readers and should aim for “just right” books geared toward their individual levels. Fortt reminds parents: “Don’t be too quick to drop reading aloud to your kids! There are endless titles (not just chapter books, but even picture books) that might be ’too hard’ for your child to read independently but by reading them aloud to your child you are building background knowledge, higher-order thinking, exposure to new vocabulary, and promoting new levels of comprehension.”
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Maya Polton is a former marketing manager and current freelance writer who covers food, home, and parenting. She’s also the mom of an 11-year-old son, an 8-year-old son, and a 4-year-old daughter. One of the joys of watching your children get older is having them read the stories they loved to their younger siblings (and it counts as reading time for homework: win-win!).
