Great books for preschoolers: encourage a lifetime of reading

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Encourage your preschooler to be a lifelong reader (2-4 years)

Childhood from two to four is an amazing time. Children's intellectual and emotional lives are expanding at an amazing rate!

Now that your magnificent little person has some tiny shreds of impulse control (I did say tiny shreds), it's time to bring your own books back out of hiding. 

Having books in your home is a major predictor of later school success, and this is the time to do it. Show your child that you read and that books are important in your home.

We all know that what our kids see us do is the most important factor in what they end up doing themselves. Your quiet actions will speak more loudly than your (sometimes a bit exasperated) words.

The Night Kitchen and Where the Wild Things Are

by Maurice Sendak

Great stories that truly speak to kids, and of course superb illustrations. Where the Wild Things Are is terrific, but I think Night Kitchen is Sendak's best. They're both must-haves!
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Which is your favorite?

Two geniuses with very different visual and verbal styles. Which one is your favorite?

Dr. Seuss or Maurice Sendak?

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Dr. Seuss

Yvonne says:

Dr. Seuss Is amazing for any child!

Evelyn_Saenz says:

Dr. Seuss is the author I turn to when teaching young children to read. I find Maurice Sendak too scarey.

Comfortdoc says:

I'd have to say Dr. Seuss, since he's another Dr. (haha) and I did a SquidWho lens for him. So many different books compared to just a handful that I can remember by Sendak.

rms says:

Wow this is a tough question. I'm going with Dr. Suess but I really like them both.

bdkz says:

I love the Snitches, so it has to be Dr. Seuss!

Victoria_Neely says:

I gotta go with Dr. Seuss and his crazy critters.

jeffwend says:

This is a very tough one, Where the Wild Things Are was one of my favorites as a child, but Dr. Seuss had so much excellent work. I still remember being a little guy having my parents read me Dr. Seuss books at bedtime.

Maurice Sendak

homeschoolingmommy says:

Maurice Sendak. The word choice in a few of Dr. Suess' books, such as the Toothbook, really bother me.

moodyweaver says:

Maurice Sendak would always be my choice.

mulberry says:

This is nearly impossible, I loved "Are you my mother?"..but I'm sticking with
"Where the Wild Things Are? Maruice Sendak

Janet says:

Dr. Seuss books are wonderful, but Maurice Sendak's Little Bear series gets my vote. I LOVE Little Bear! My son just finished watching Little Bear on TV. ;)

sonia_simone says:

I love them both and would hate to be without either one, but there's just something about The Night Kitchen that I wouldn't ever want to be without. Tough choice, but I'm voting for Maurice.

 
view all 14 comments

Maurice Sendak's Little Bear series

Thanks to Janet for the recommendation!

Beautiful little books for beautiful little people!
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One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish

A little longer than Dr. Seuss's ABC and just as delightful. Not all Seuss is equally good—this is one of his best.
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“Read me a book, mama?”

Are you a reader?

If you're not a reader yourself, it's going to be an uphill battle to interest your kids in it. If you don't read much, why not? You might be subscribing to the limiting belief that reading is like broccoli. Reading is one of the world's great pleasures, not a duty you must perform.

If you like to read romance novels, shoot-em-ups, or comic books, go ahead and do it. That's the nice thing about being a grown-up. What you read isn't nearly as important as the act of reading itself.

That goes for your child as well. (Remind yourself of that later when he develops a passion for Goosebumps or Captain Underpants.)

Harold and the Purple Crayon

A magical story about a little boy who uses a purple crayon to create an entire world to live in. A great story about creativity and thinking on your feet.
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Find interesting additions to books

It's always wonderful to have lots of books around, but there are other materials that make good additions.

Magazines can be terrific, and your preschooler can even learn an incredible amount from catalogs.

My little boy happens to be partial to the Williams-Sonoma catalog and anything with pictures of cute little girls. Gardening catalogs are also great, especially the ones showing vegetables.

Colorful new images can introduce all kinds of vocabulary, and it's fun to ask questions about what the people in the catalog might be doing, or what could be in the pretty box shown in the picture.

And novelty always goes over well with small children, which means that the constant onslaught of catalogs is finally good for something.

Three cheers for BUGS!

Insects and arachnids and larvae (oh my!)

You may have to restrain a small shudder as your child gleefully points out the centipedes, scorpions, termites and tarantulas. (The pill bugs are pretty cute, though.) Fascinating bug facts and engaging bug pictures. Bug lovers unite!
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Other lenses on encouraging your child to read

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Can You See a Little Bear?

Beautiful complex illustrations are paired with simple rhythmic language as a little bear plays with friends in the circus and makes his way slowly to bed. This is a treasure. This book inspired a passion for minarets in my little boy that has yet to ebb.
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Bunny Cakes

A delightful adventure from bunny siblings Ruby and Max. Ruby is bossy, Max tries his best, and everything comes out very well at the end. Rosemary Wells writes fabulous gentle, funny books for little children. Great pictures, also.
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What's your favorite book for preschoolers?

Let me know and I'll check it out. If I love it, I'll add it to the lens.

  • only1bub Dec 2, 2008 @ 1:30 am | delete
    What a great page - I've got several of the books you mentioned already, but this Maurice person I've never heard of & will need to look into! :)
  • OnStageLighting Apr 1, 2008 @ 2:40 pm | delete
    It has to be < a href="http://www.childrensbook.me.uk">Pants by Giles Andreae. It might not be high brow but the rhymes are great and it is just plain silly.

    Visit us at http://www.childrensbook.me.uk
  • BookMom Mar 19, 2008 @ 3:22 pm | delete
    Favorite books for preschoolers - be sure to check out books by Usborne Publishing for your list! (www.GrowingGreatMinds.com) A few of my favorites are How Big Is A Million, the Picture Book Classics, and the touchy feely books Princesses, This Is My Kitten, and Hide and Seek Bunnies!
  • Evelyn_Saenz Feb 15, 2008 @ 6:50 pm | delete
    The Purple Gallinules just flew over to check out your lens. We love to teach how to read color words while learning science. Max and Ruby are my favorite books for Preschoolers.
  • midaste Jan 20, 2008 @ 10:31 am | delete
    Thank you for lens. I am always looking for new books for my 4 year old. I have a lens with a few of my favorite and also one I wrote for my boy that can be downloaded for free. I rated you a 5.
     My Son's Favorite Books
  • GypsyPirate Dec 15, 2007 @ 2:57 pm | delete
    Such good memories of books from when I was little. Very nicely done!!
  • rockycha Dec 6, 2007 @ 10:23 am | delete
    Excellent lens! high fives! thanks for your forum help :)
  • Jacqueline_Golding_PhD Dec 1, 2007 @ 9:36 am | delete
    Great lens! Reading is so important - and such a joy! I have so many favorite books for young children that I wrote a book about them, HEALING STORIES. Along the lines of HAROLD, how about CHERRIES AND CHERRY PITS by Vera B. Williams or APPELEMANDO'S DREAMS by Patricia Polacco?
  • ina_mar Sep 12, 2007 @ 4:56 pm | delete
    I love "The Trip to Panama" by Janosch (
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sonia_simone

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