Reading is one of the most important activities children, and their parents can do together. From day one, reading helps children learn words, the cadence of language, and how to construct sentences. Not only that, but reading enhances learning through story and connection with caregivers. This reading list is designed for families to read together, especially to children aged 0-5. In celebration of Read Across America Day, each one is meant to be enjoyed no matter where families are around the country. Contributed by: Mary Lanni
In this story within a story within a story, is the little hedgehog and his mother reading a bedtime story about a sleepy bear, or is the little bear and his mother reading a bedtime story about a sleepy hedgehog?
Baby Owl agrees to read a story to Tiny Chick, but before he can start reading, Tiny Chick’s numerous brothers, sisters, cousins, and friends join in and test Baby Owl’s patience.
Given blank books by their mother, Seymour, Fiona, and Wilbur let their imaginations fly, then put their stories, poems, and pictures together in a single, shared book.
The Jellybeans–four friends who have different strengths and talents–discover a shared love of reading when Anna persuades the others to go with her to the library.
A child who has not yet learned how to read looks out at the world and sees language as lines and squiggles that don’t exactly make pictures but don’t seem to make anything else either. Then, when the child starts to go to school and begins to learn his letters, his way of seeing begins to change.
When Lily, her sister Sam, and their mother move in with her sick grandmother, Lily traps a magical tiger and makes a deal with him to heal Halmoni.
A book can change a thought, a belief, an action. A book can bring understanding and exploration. While books can have these powers, it sometimes takes a powerful person to connect us with these books. That powerful person in the library is the librarian. A librarian shares in the reading journey by connecting the voice of the book with the soul of the chosen reader. These ten books focus on stories of readers whose lives were impacted by a librarian. One book even demonstrates how a librarian affected an entire city. How lucky we are to have school and public libraries staffed with these knowledgeable individuals!
Melvin discovers that the public library is the place where he can find just about anything–including three librarians who help in his quest for knowledge.
Alia Muhammad Baker is the real-life librarian of Basra. As the war in Iraq approaches her city, she wonders what will happen to the library’s 30,000 books. Will they be destroyed, or can she find a way to save them?
Library Lil
By: Suzanne Williams
Illustrated by: Steven Kellogg
A formidable librarian makes readers not only out of the once resistant residents of her small town but out of a tough-talking, television-watching motorcycle gang as well.
A first-grade girl who does not like to read stubbornly resists her school librarian’s efforts to convince her to love books until she finds one that might change her mind.
Charlie Boon, called Noob, who believes himself to be a secret superhero, decides that Miss Chowder, the school librarian, is a supervillain–and once again, he lets his imagination run away with him.
A family living in the Appalachian Mountains in the 1930s gets books to read during the regular visits of the “Book Woman”–a librarian who rides a pack horse through the mountains, lending books to the isolated residents.
While helping his family in their work as migrant laborers far from their home, Tomás finds an entire world to explore in the books at the local public library. Based on the real experience in the life of the famous writer Tomás Rivera, the son of migrant workers who became an education leader and university president.
The written word is the cornerstone of modern human society, and Little Free Libraries help spread that word far and wide. Little Free Libraries are small, elevated boxes that are designed to store books. These libraries can be found nearly anywhere, from a front lawn to a bike path to a storefront. And each Library is designed with the same message: take a book, leave a book. Todd Bol was an ordinary man. He was not particularly noteworthy in school, and he did not feel heroic at all. But his mother saw him differently. She assured him that one day, he would do big things. After his mother passed away, Todd began searching for ways to alleviate his sadness. His mother’s love of books inspired him to create the first Little Free Library that he placed on his front lawn in 2009. Though it took a while to gain traction, over 2,510 Little Free Libraries can now be found worldwide. Designed as a narrative non-fiction account of Todd Bol’s notable contribution to the world, this book is enjoyable for readers of all ages. John Parra’s memorable artwork brings the story to life alongside the carefully crafted text by Miranda Paul. From end paper to end paper, the world of books is seen and felt on every page. Detailed, emotive images showcase humans in many different environments, emphasizing that these Little Free Libraries can really be found anywhere. The amount of text on each page makes this book best suited for mid- to upper-elementary aged readers, especially those reading with a parent or caregiver. After reading this book, readers of all ages will be inspired to seek out a Little Free Library in their neighborhood or even build one for themselves. Children’s Literature is a division of CLCD, LLC.
