Goodnight Moon & Other Books to Read with Your Children

BY LISA S.T. DOSS

Owls. Bears. Rabbits. Frogs. The main characters that captivate our children’s interest from beginning to end. It’s inspiring to hear a child giggling as pages are being lifted and turned over. A love of reading is usually fostered by a parent who invests many personal moments with his or her child, selecting titles from the bookshelf to offer a great illustrated adventure.

PICTURE BOOKS

Beloved for their illustrations, picture books can be presented in poetic or repetitious ways to encourage recognition of words, and the ability to read along. Not all picture books feature controlled words for a speci c audience. Many picture books include challenging words and complicated sentences to expand and introduce vocabulary, especially if the words are from a Dr. Seuss story, presented as nonsensical, which may offer a lesson in both rhyme and phonetics.

Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown is

a classic favorite of readers and listeners since 1947. Most families possess several copies for every bookshelf, and multiple formats, including the board book and bath book. In a green room, a little bunny is tucked in bed to say goodnight to all the items in sight. This story emphasizes a form of poetry and repetition.

We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen

and Helen Oxenbury is not only an award-winning classic, but the “chant” of the story will give young children the opportunity to “read along.” And, since, children will want to read often, consider buying a board book, especially for children under the age of four.

Goodnight Opus by Berkley Breathed is a story

about a night-time adventure set in couplets. As parents read, the listeners will want to provide the rhyming words at the end of each line. The captivating and humorous illustrations will help readers of all ages to “depart from the text.”

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle,

rst published in 1969, is a classic illustrated picture book. Educational lessons include the days of the week and the life cycle of a caterpillar. Parents cannot stop with one story; Eric Carle has a collection of 60 captivating and educational stories.

CHAPTER BOOKS

Reading with your child presents a means to increase her interest in books, and assist with understanding, character development, problems, and solutions. As children practice, they become more comfortable with words while experiencing new worlds, charming, humorous, or daring characters, and predicting endings to unusual plot twists. Chapter books have become much more captivating, and are not just for children!

Mercy Watson series by Kate DiCamillo is about a

porcine wonder, namely a pig that sleeps in a bed in Mr. and Mrs. Watson’s house. Young children will love the adventure of Mercy and the colorful array of interesting characters. Beyond the six books, children can expand their knowledge by learning about the side characters presented as “Tales from Deckawoo Drive.” (Ages 5 to 8)

The Magic Treehouse series by Mary Pope

Osbourne presents a magical adventure in the past. Brother and sister, Jack and Annie, are whisked to a time and place of ancient pyramids, past presidents, explorers, and scientists, or to experience tornadoes, wars, or other events in our history. To expand the factual information in each book, more than half of the 55 books have a non- ction companion called “Fact-Trackers” (Ages 6 to 9)

Septimus Heap series by Angie

Sage comprises seven books. Children who love animals that talk in a world of magic, castles, princesses, scribes, and an Outstanding Wizard will love the introduction of building quirky characters and multiple storylines. Starting in third grade, children will need longer chapters. Families can consider listening to an audiobook while allowing a child to hold the book in their hands. (Ages 8 to 12)

Peter and the Starcatchers series by Dave Barry and

Ridley Pearson is a parody of Peter Pan in ve books. Of course, readers will quickly discover who the characters “Black Stache,” and a ferocious crocodile, named “Mister Grin” are. Despite the short chapters, children will want to continue reading. Each chapter ends with a curiosity to know what will happen next. (Ages 9 and up)

Of course, our favorite characters in children’s literature come alive each time a book opens, whether they are the Kings and Queens of Narnia, a girl named Pippi Longstocking, a “Big Friendly Giant,” or an elephant named Horton. Reading together is an adventure of togetherness and memories.