You have read our first blog and now you are thinking, “Okay, great, I already read to my child, but I should read more. It should be something you want, and something you are enjoying We already have books at home, but are those good enough?”

We are here to tell you that all books ARE NOT created equal. Yes, any book is better than no book, of course, that is always true! But some books offer more, and sometimes better opportunities for kids to learn and absorb content. You also probably - no, most definitely - have some favorites. That’s great too! Your interest and connection to a story will be a positive connection for your kids, but sometimes we have looked back on an old favorite with a wrinkly forehead wondering if there was anything of real merit to take away. We are going to help you navigate the book stores and libraries for your future collections. We are aiming for children to love reading and for them to feel good about reading and to feel good about themselves after reading. The happier they are, the more they will read. We will tell you about FIVE awesome ways to choose books, and tell you about our recommendations in each category as well. (This list was created for children under three. If you are interested in books for older children, we are happy to share our suggestions, just ask!)

FIRST: Always choose books that are easy to understand. This does not have to mean easy words and short sentences, or only picture books, or letter and number books (more on this in a later post), but the message has to be clear. If you are reading a book that is confusing to your six month old or two year old, they are going to tune out and turn away. This also means avoid comics, books with definitions, defined chapters, and sarcasm. There are a lot of really great ideas that get put into children’s books, but they don’t always translate well.

Easy books we love:

Toot, Blankie, and Quiet/Loud by Leslie Patricelli

DADA by Jimmy Fallon

Duck and Goose, Here Comes the Easter Bunny by Tad Hills

Brown Bear, Brown Bear by Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle

From Head to Toe by Eric Carle

Ten Tiny Toes by Caroline Jayne Church

Goodnight, Numbers by Danica McKellar

Alphaprints: Colors by Roger Priddy

Wake Up Little Owl Gareth Llewhellin

Little Bunny Goes to the Moon by Amelia Gatacre

Puppy Makes Mischief by Amelia Gatacre

Press Here, by Herve Tullet

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault

SECOND: Find books with a positive message. The happier your child is reading, the happier they will be to read more. There are a lot of superhero books out there, but remember, in order to be a traditional superhero, something usually has to be going wrong first. While finding ideas your child likes to read about is important (firetrucks, helicopters, hedgehogs, or whatever it may be), we ask that you make sure the overall theme across any category encompasses love, kindness, and bravery.

Positive message books we love:

Cara’s Kindness by Kristi Yamaguchi

My Cat Maisie by Pamela Allen

Baby Honu Saves the Day by Tammy Yee

You Got This! by Laurie Hernandez

Pete the Cat (all) by Eric Litwin and James Dean

The Gillygoofang by George Mendoza

Llama Llama Misses Mama by Anna Dewdney

Good Night Hawaii by Adam Gamble

Maisy Goes to Preschool by Lucy Cousins

THIRD: Read books with positive language. This sounds simple, and at first, you’ll assume like we did that most if not all children’s books follow this rule. However, the more you focus on finding positive language and eliminating negative language, the more you will see how often the word “no” is used. You want to create the best association possible with books, and “no,” regardless of how it is being used in the book, is still “no”. Making these small changes can make a huge difference. Say yes to positive language!

Positive language books we love:

Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney

Love You More by Laura Duksta

I Love You Night and Day by Smriti Prasadam-Halls

Sleepy Time for Baby Mouse, by Platt

I Love You, Stinky Face by Lisa McCourt

Bella Loves Bunny, by David McPhail

Girl Power, 5 Minute Stories, multiple authors

FOURTH: It is also important to find beautifully illustrated books. Captivate your children with drawings and painting, real life, and cartoon. Books that you can sing are also super fun. A lot of lullabies and children’s songs have a book version. Check them out!

Beautiful pictures and song books that we love:

Rock-a-Bye Baby in Hawaii by Jane Gillespie

Octopus’s Garden by Ringo Starr

Slippery Fish in Hawaii by Charlotte Diamond

Down at the Beach by Jane Gillespie

FIFTH: Lastly, it is important that you diversify your reading. Find books with different lead characters and books written by different types of people. These books will appear different for everyone. A note here - most books are written with males as the main character - people, animals, trucks, they all are almost exclusively male. With a daughter, we try our hardest to stay away from that, but instead of not buying these books, we find ourselves replacing words like “he” and “him” with “she” and “her” and “they”. It is absolutely okay to change words as you read if you find that your bookshelf is filled with books of one gender and you want to let your child know that the world is diverse.

Diverse books we love:

The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats

Ten Little Rabbits by Virginia Grossman and Sylvia Long

I Know Numbers by Taro Gomi

Chu’s First Day by Neil Gaiman

There are other great books out there, we don’t doubt it, but these are books we stand by 100%. There are also other great series out there, but those get a little tricky. One book in a series can be great, and but others may fall short. It only takes a minute, so read through the books before you bring them home. You may also notice we rarely recommend books with mainstream characters. These well-known and well-defined characters usually have a pre-set persona, and we want children to be able to find themselves in each book they read.

Choose any one of these five ways to start looking for new books, or use them all! If you are at a library or bookstore, or even searching online, asking someone or typing in those keywords about children’s books will also yield great results. Good luck, and read on!

Choosing Books