This is such a good question. The fact is, picking out books that appeal to your child at this stage is tricky!
Age 0-1 is The Easy Part
When babies are very young, in the first year or so, they are used to sitting still, cuddling, and listening to your voice -- it's all they do. So, when you read a book, it's a different variety on that same activity. It doesn't really matter what you read, because they are still developing the basic concept of books and reading and don't really follow the plot. Very young children can't even focus on the pictures yet! So, the important thing at this age is hearing the rhythms of your voice, hearing new vocabulary, and feeling close to you. In his first year, I read Will whatever I found interesting, including all my childhood favorites, a huge book of fairy tales, all the Winnie-the-Pooh books, an anthology of Greek and Roman myths, and even The New Yorker. Sometimes he would get restless and we'd stop, but mostly he just listened. We got thousands and thousands of words in that year! |
| Make Way For Ducklings; Will at 4 weeks. |
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| Winnie-the-Pooh; Will at 4 months |
Age 1-2 is Much Trickier
By the time children turn one, however, things have changed. They are much more active at this age, walking, exploring, and manipulating all kinds of objects and toys, so sitting quietly is often not a big part of your routine anymore. At the same time, they haven not yet developed strong listening comprehension skills and long attention spans that will allow them to really follow and enjoy stories. As a result, I often hear from parents that their kids at this age "just don't really like reading." They've tried it, and it didn't go that well, so they give it a rest, planning to get back to it when their kids are older and can pay attention. Either that, or they read the same two or three books every night at bedtime, and it's a comforting routine, but it's not that much fun for kids or parents.This reaction makes sense -- after all, kids will be better able to enjoy and appreciate books when they are older and have longer attention spans, right? Well, yes and no. The fact is, listening comprehension does require attention, but it is also a skill that your child builds over time. So, the more books you read now, the faster their attention spans for reading will develop.
Simply put, reading books prepares children to read more books.
So, my recommendation is to keep at it, even when the going gets tough. Here are a kinds of books that worked for us from age one to two:
Board books. We often think of board books as "baby's first books", but it was not until Will turned one that I really started to appreciate board books as an art form. A good board book has bright, clear, evocative illustrations and just a little text per page. Kids can participate in the reading experience by turning the pages, simultaneously developing their print concepts.
Will's absolute number one favorite at this age was Harry the Dirty Dog, by Gene Zion. We just happened to find this board book at TJ Maxx a few weeks before Will's first birthday, and it was a favorite for almost a year. Here are a few pictures of the pages:
As you can see, the pictures are colorful, clear, and engaging, and there are only 1-3 sentences per page. This meant that Will didn't have time to get bored before it was time to turn the page and see another cool picture. It also meant that the story overall was relatively simple and easy to follow.
There are two kinds of board books, the regular, small kind and the extra-large kind, known as "lap board books." I really love the lap board books because I felt like Will just got lost in them.
However, they are kind of hard to find, so I recommend snapping them up wherever you come across them. I found most of ours at TJ Maxx or Homegoods.
At this age, Will also loved these board books*:
I should point out that not all of these are great works of literature! Some of them, like the Spot books, are pretty lame. But, Will liked it and as long as you're reading lots of books to your child, they don't all have to be Booker prize winners.
*Note: The Amazon links are not necessarily to the board book formats for these books. These are great books in any format, and you have to choose which format you want (board book, paperback, hardcover). Unfortunately, the board book version of Harry the Dirty Dog is currently out of print! You can buy a used one on Amazon, or you can get the regular picture book version. They may also have the board book at your library.
Funny books. As well as telling an engaging story in relatively short pages, Harry the Dirty Dog is also quite funny! Most of the books Will loved at this age were funny (at least to him). A good board book or picture book will have both humorous text AND illustrations. Another huge favorite of Will's at this age was Dragons Love Tacos, a book with a funny tone, funny premise, funny plot, and very funny pictures. He loved that book so much it was the theme of his first birthday party AND his Halloween costume six months later:
He also loved this book called Moo Hoo. I hated that book, but we read it many, many times because it gave Will the giggles every time!
Concept books. At this age, Will also enjoyed alphabet books, counting books, labeling books, and opposite books. These books usually only have one word per page, but they gave him plenty to think about as he developed his understanding of letters, numbers, words, and opposites. His favorites included: ABC, A Child's First Alphabet Book, Museum ABC, Hippopposites, Oliva's Opposites, Curious George's 1 to 10 and Back Again, and 123 New York: A Cool Counting Book, but we honestly read dozens and dozens of these.
Really Big Books. We got Will this enormous Richard Scarry book for his first birthday, and it's one of the best purchases we've made. It was big and sturdy enough for him to be able to climb all over it and to see the details in these incredibly busy pictures. It provided an introduction to the Richard Scarry genre, which has become one of his favorites. It's also a nice hybrid, a half-narrative, half-labeling book. I also look for teacher's edition, big books on ebay.
Informational Books. We often think of kids' books as storybooks, but kids need more exposure to informational text (Duke, 2000; 2004), and it's never too early to start! Will really enjoyed this national geographic series of board books.
Other tips for reading with a one-year-old:
Offer Choices: Choice is a great motivator for young children. By age 1, I would let Will pick out his own books from the kids' section of the library. Some of these books he liked, some not, but he was willing to give them a chance when he picked them out. Similarly, I would let him pick between two or three books when we sat down to read, and he could do this at six months old, by touching the book he wanted.
Keep Trying: Between ages 1 and 2, the book Will liked the most was the book he had read the most times recently. The book he liked the least was the new book I thought he would like. The first time we read a new book, he almost always had a neutral or negative reaction. But, I would keep trying, and by the third or fourth time he generally started to like it and ask for it. I would also strategically introduce new books. For example, he would get to read an "extra" book before nap (one more than usual) if it was a new book we hadn't read before.
Look Forward to Age 2! Always keep in mind your end goal -- to develop your child's interest and love of reading in the long term. You may not love the same books as your child in this stage, or you may not get to read the great children's literature you always dreamed of reading to your child. I understand; Will would not get near Where the Wild Things Are until very recently. It's perfectly fine -- great even -- to read your child's favorite books, whatever they are, over and over and over and over and over. But I also encourage you to keep up the variety, introducing different kinds of books and even some longer picture books into the mix when you get a chance, and eventually your child will surprise you by asking for Frog and Toad stories. At two and half, Will regularly listens intently through long informational books about Paris, strange rambling poems, and Winnie-the-Pooh stories. He is always excited to get new books from the library and read them at home. It's a whole new world!
We also bought Harry the Dirty Dog in board book format at TJMaxx (in AZ 5 years ago)! It's a surprisingly good place for board books! :)
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