Children’s Books 1

Children’s books should: Enrich life and help children appreciate beauty Answer children’s endless questions and cause them to want to learn Hear and learn –the rhythm of language, –the rise and fall of the voice and –the tongue-tickling phrases Build active and passive vocabularies 2

Children who have learned to love books : Can express themselves through –Dramatic play –Art –Music and –Other experiences Are able to express themselves and their feelings in many forms 3

Young children like to hear stories about others their age and about people and things they are familiar with, better understanding themselves by hearing stories that draw on their backgrounds. Older children may want to expand their learning by reading about topics that are less familiar to them. 4

Selecting Books for Children Books should: –Stretch the mind –Stir creativity –Be on the child’s level Babies and toddlers enjoy hearing nursery rhymes Toddlers and preschoolers enjoy picture books Older children have more involved plots and more written descriptions 5

Picture Books First picture books need simple captions. (or no caption at all) Later picture books have simple plots. (pictures tell the story) Older children’s books have more involved plots and more written descriptions-the mind creates the pictures. 6

Children should experience books with delight. Story time should help children relax. Adults should hold children or sit close as they read. Stories should be read in an interesting way, using reflections and different voices. Children should be able to see the pictures clearly. Adults can encourage remarks or laughter as they read. 7

Children’s Book You will select a children’s book. Bring the book to class tomorrow. You will read your book to the class. This is a graded assignment. Each person will select a different book. 8