The ABC's to Building Your Child's Library By Pamela Caywood

Pam, Bill & Grace

Do you ever go to the bookstore and start to get a headache trying to choose a "good" book to add to your child's library? Sometimes I find it overwhelming. I am always shocked when my 3 year old is drawn like a magnet to the newest Disney Book. How does she know??? I have learned that most Disney stories have originated from Hans Christian Anderson's tales, my daughter now enjoys reading the original versions of these stories. Plus, the drawing in these books are incredible. I have tried to research what educators, critics and friends have found to be the "classics." This article will give you a list of books that I have found to be on most people's list as the core building books for you child's library. I now carry this list with me when I go to the library and the bookstores and have found choosing "good" books to be so much easier. This list can also double for finding videos too.

It is never too early to read to your child. The earlier you start a special reading time, the earlier you will encourage your child to love books. It will become a great pastime for long trips in the car, for relaxing before bedtime and for self-play activity. I have also found that reading time at the library serves to encourage her to see how books can be very entertaining. Plus, we have learned new games and songs too!

My mother-in-law was a kindergarten teacher and is always giving my daughter wonderful books. I remember reading them when I was a child too, but I would not have remembered them on my own. It is a wonderful tradition to share the "classics" with your child. The story lines and lessons are still applicable and send positive messages.

Listed below is a (long) list of my "key library books". Please note this is not a complete list. If it were you would not have time to read it or enough paper to print it out!! These are the starters to get your library off to a good start. I have compiled this list from various sources which are included as a footnote at the end of this article. Also, there are some authors who have many great books out, but I have only listed one per author. So, if you like the author, buy more of their books! I have also included a few LONG books...am I crazy?? Yes! But, it is nice when your child develops a longer attention span and the patience, to read chapter books once in awhile too. I usually read 1 or 2 chapters at each reading time.

I hope that this list is helpful and encouraging to make reading a priority in your child's day. Did you know that Roald Dahl was considered "incapable" and "of limited ideas" by his boarding school teachers? Luckily for him, he had a baby-sitter who loved to read to him. Look at the impact that the act of reading had on his life. Reading is a wonderful lifelong habit that you can take with you anywhere. I hope that this list will inspire you to continue to read to your child and open up their imagination to the "unknown"!!

The Building Books for Your Toddler's Library

Book Name - Author

Mother Goose
Hush Little Baby - Aliki
The Ugly Duckling - Hans Christian Anderson
Anno's Counting Book - Mitsumasa Anno
Turtle Tale - Frank Asch
Madeline - Ludwig Bemelmans
Berenstain Bears - Stan and Jan Berenstain
Martin's Hats - Joan W. Blos
Clifford - Norman Bridwell
The Snowman - Raymond Briggs
Let's Go Swimming with Mr Silly - Pants M.K. Brown
Hand Rhymes - Marc Brown
Goodnight Moon - Margaret Wise Brown
A Dark Dark Tale - Ruth Brown
Snuffy - Dick Brunna
The Very Busy Spider - Eric Carle
The Town Mouse and The Country Mouse - Lorinda Bryan Cauley
You Read to Me, I'll Read to You - John Ciardi
The Story of Babar - Jean De Drunhoff
The BFG - Roald Dahl
Good Dog, Carl - Alexandra Day
Petunia the Silly Goose Stories - Roger Duvoisin
Are You My Mother? - P.D. Eastman
Harriet The Spy - Louise Fitzhughs
The Story About Ping - Marjorie Flack
Ten, Nine, Eight - Don Freeman
Henny Penny - Paul Galdone
The First Words Picture Book - Bill Gillham
Paddy Goes Traveling - John Goodall
Where's Spot? - Eric Hill
Bedtime for Frances - Russell Hoban
Angelina Ballerina - Katharine Holabird
Cordury - Shirley Hughes
Harold and the Purple Crayon - Crockett Johnson
Snowy Day - Ezra Keats
Chicken Little - Steven Kellogg
The Wheels on the Bus - Maryann Kovalski
The Carrot Seed - Ruth Krauss
Pat the Bunny - Dorothy Kunhardt
Frederick - Leo Lionni
Frog and Toad are Friends - Arnold Lobel
Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle - Betty MacDonald
Make Way for Ducklings - Robert McCloskey
Flossie and the Fox - Patricia McKissack
A Boy, A Dog and A Frog - Mercer Mayer
Winnie The Pooh - A.A. Milne
Tikki Tikki Tembo - Arlene Mosel
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie - Laura Numeroff
All Fall Down - Helen Oxenbury
I Can-Can You? - Peggy Parish
The House That Jack Built - Rodney Peppe
The Little Engine that Could - Watty Piper
Peter Rabbit - Beatrix Potter
Curious George - H.A. Rey
Old MacDonald Had a Farm - Glen Rounds
The Lowly Worm Book - Richard Scarry
Bea and Mr. Jones - Amy Schwartz
American Folk Songs for Children - Ruth Crawford Seeger
Where the Wild Things Are - Maurice Sendak
The Cat in the Hat - Dr. Seuss
The Giving Tree - Shel Silverstein
Caps for Sale - Esphyr Slobodkina
Sylvester and the Magic Pebble - William Steig
A Child's Garden of Verses - Robert Louis Stevenson
Eloise - Kay Thompson
Happy Birthday, Max! - Hanne Turk
Ernest and Celestine - Gabrielle Vincent
The House on East 88th Street - Bernard Waber
Max's Breakfast - Rosemary Wells
Heidi - E.B. White
The Velveteen Rabbit - Margery Williams
The Bear and The Fly - Paula Winter
The Other Bone - Ed Young
Harry the Dirty Dog - Gene Zion

References:
Hearne, Betsy - Choosing Books for Children
Trelease, Jim - The Read-Aloud Handbook

Pamela Caywood is the proud mother of 3 year old daughter and a 4 month old baby boy.