Children are excited by books that speak to them and their experiences. They love familiar sights and stories, but also love novelty and challenge. What follows are some suggestions of what to look for when you are choosing books for young children.

INFANTS B-12 MONTHS LIKE

• Board books with photos of babies
• Brightly colored board books to touch and taste
• Books with pictures of familiar objects-balls, bottles
• Small books sized for small hands

YOUNGER TODDLERS 12 - 24 MONTHS LIKE

• Sturdy board books they can handle and carry
• Books with photos and pictures of children doing familiar things - sleeping, eating, playing
• Goodnight books for bedtime
• Books about saying goodbye and hello
• Books with only a few words on the page
• Books with simple rhymes or predictable text

YOUNGER TODDLERS 24 - 36 MONTHS LIKE

• Books with board pages - but also books with paper pages
• Silly books and funny books
• Rhymes, rhythms, repetitious books they can learn by heart
• Books about children and families
• Books about making friends
• Books about food
• Books about animals
• Books about trucks
• World books
  

YOUNGER TODDLERS 3 - 5 YEARS LIKE

• Books that tell stories
  
• Books about kids that look like them and live like them- but also books about different places and different ways of living
• Books about going to school, books about making friends
• Books with simple text they can memorize
• Counting books, alphabet books, vocabulary books

Reach Out and Read National Center, 2006 Rev.