Fun Fall Books for Kids

There is much evidence that children who are read to become readers and that reading is the absolute cornerstone of success at every age in all aspects of life.

So now as you replace pansies with hardy mums and lemonade with apple cider,  add some fresh fall books to a basket with a cozy blanket and soft teddy.   This will be your favorite spot this fall – guaranteed.

Babies

Babies love you.  Never miss a chance to hold your baby in one arm and a book in the other.   They will watch and listen as your voice reads a story and your hand turns the pages.  The very youngest of infants will listen and watch attentively as you open the door to the world through books.

Babies love texture.  Crinkly, shiny, bumpy or santiny books are favorites.  Small hands like small books.  Board books, cloth books and vinyl books are best for babies.  Babies will “mouth”, lick and chew on books – their first reading experienceJ, be sure you are mindful of spit up and food.

Good books for babies and toddlers are picture / label books; books with no words or few words, mostly labels for simple pictures.

Sandra Boynton:            The Going to Bed Book      Barnyard Dance      Moo, Baa, LaLaLa

Mem Fox:                        Time for Bed

Margaret Wise Brown:  Goodnight Moon

Karen Katz:                     Where is Baby’s Mama?           Counting Kisses         Daddy and Me

Dorothy Kunhardt:         Pat the Bunny

Toddlers

The best toddler books are simple picture books with familiar themes and straightforward stories. Read aloud to your toddler and talk to them about the pictures.  Sing songs, make up rhymes and read the same book over and over and over…They love it!

Martha Alexandrer:       Maggie’s Moon

Gail Gibbons:                  Trucks

Pat Huchins:                   Titch

Bill Martin:                     Brown Bear, Brown Bear

John Burningham:        The Baby

Preschoolers

Preschoolers are known for preferences and territory!  They know what they like and they like to have it.  As your young preschooler (3 year olds) become more versed and confident in oral and print stories, by age  4 many preschoolers are really reading and creating their own stories or versions of a favorite.  Wonderful – they find excitement, calm, humor and magic in books!

Mary Hoffman:             Amazing Grace

P.D. Eastman:               Are You My Mother?

Pamela Allen:               Who Sank the Boat?

Don Freeman:              Dandelion

Maurice Sendak:         Where the Wild Things Are

Some favorite authors for all ages;

Dr. Seuss

Eric Carle

Mem Fox

Ezra Jack Keats

Denise Fleming

Frank Asch

 

**Ask your child’s teacher what books they have in class and if you can be a guest reader.                                               **If you read, your children will read.
**Be a model of literacy.                                                                                                                                                                 **Please remember that a book, a visit to the library and a library card are excellent gifts for all children.

“Children are made readers on the laps of their parents.”   Emilie Buchwald