Great Books

collage of images depicted children sitting in different places while smiling and reading

with
Kay Chance

Laying the Foundation for the Love of Reading

Reading and literature formed the foundation of so much of my children’s education. This year for our Great Books column, I’m recommending some of our personal favorites from preschool through high school. Each issue will focus on a different age group. A few titles may be out of print now, but with libraries and online used book stores, there aren’t any that won’t be available to you!

In this issue, we’re starting with our preschoolers and kindergarteners. I absolutely adore the many books available for this age group. It’s a time to introduce them to the playfulness of language as they explore the world around them. We recommend filling your preschoolers and kindergarteners’ days with lots of outside time, imaginative play, and stories that ignite their sense of wonder!

Some may be ready to begin learning to read, but our focus in these selections is reading together. One of the keys for instilling a love of reading in your children is associating it with what they want most at this age: time with you.

So snuggle up and enjoy!

Reading Aloud with Story Collections

There’s something so special about sitting together on the couch or laying in bed before lights-out reading. With these collections, you can have an entire home library of stories even if you don’t have a lot of space!

The Lion Storyteller
Bedtime Book

written by Bob Hartman

Featuring tales from around the world, this collection of short stories will delight your young learners whether it’s bedtime or not. Perfect for reading aloud, especially when you don’t have a lot of time, these stories are an excellent way to transition preschoolers to longer readings than board books and simple picture books.

A Treasury of
Children’s Literature

written by Armand Eisen

This collection of children’s stories includes fairy and folk tales, fables, poems, rhymes, American tall tales, and excerpts from classic literature like Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Besides the wonderful variety, this treasury contains beautiful illustrations by sixteen different artists—the kind that you would see in books from “years-gone-by” instead of cartoonish depictions.

A Treasury of
Children’s Literature

written by Armand Eisen

This collection of children’s stories includes fairy and folk tales, fables, poems, rhymes, American tall tales, and excerpts from classic literature like Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Besides the wonderful variety, this treasury contains beautiful illustrations by sixteen different artists—the kind that you would see in books from “years-gone-by” instead of cartoonish depictions.

The 20th-Century Children’s Book Treasury

edited by Janet Schulman

You really can’t beat this collection when it comes to variety and scope. Common preschool topics and themes are written about in a variety of formats from wordless books to short stories. This one is different from the two above because it contains some popular picture books in their entirety with original illustrations.

a little boy lays on his stomach atop a bed while reading a picture book and smiling

Picture Books

“A picture is worth a thousand words.” I’m sure you are familiar with this saying, and for preschoolers and kindergarteners it’s certainly true! I love how picture books capture the hearts and minds of kids with musical language and incredible illustrations. It’s such a great way to introduce kids to literary elements. (But you don’t even have to tell them things like, “This is an example of onomatopoeia… just enjoy the words and rhythm of the text!)

While we read, we often spent as much time looking at the pictures as I asked my boys questions and encouraged them to interact with the text.

The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear

edited by Audrey Wood

This was a personal favorite to read to my boys. Maybe it was the mouse’s expressions in the detailed illustrations or the funny twist at the end, but I have such sweet memories of reading this one aloud from our oversized copy—the giant kind you see teachers or librarians read to kids. But you don’t have to have the BIG book like ours! Talk about the different emotions the mouse feels and ask your kids to show you what it looks like with their faces. It’s a blast!

The Seven Silly Eaters

written by Mary Ann Hoberman

So I confess. I was not the parent who could proudly say, “My children eat whatever they are given.” Maybe that’s why my oldest picky-eater son and I enjoyed this book so much. With rhyming text and a ridiculously picky group of kids, The Seven Silly Eaters exaggerates the idea of “pickiness” and focuses on the love of a mom and her kids.

Choo Choo

edited by Virginia Lee Burton

With black and white charcoal type drawings, this classic tale of a train engine who wanted a little adventure is written in a way that engages little ones—especially those who, like my youngest was, are obsessed with all the train things. There’s an underlying message here for both children and adults that makes a great conversation starter.

Instilling a love of reading begins at a time kids can’t even read themselves—at least not fluently. But by giving them the opportunity to associate reading with time with you, you are setting them up for a lifetime of reading enjoyment.

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