Reading to your children is one of the greatest gifts you can give them. It can begin as soon as they are born, or even while mom is pregnant. They get to sit in your lap and cuddle while you read a story to them. As they get older, they still love to sit in your lap and read stories over and over again while looking at the colorful pictures. And who has not experienced the joy of the first time your child comes home from school and wants to read a story to you? You can continue that special bedtime reading with them even when they are fully able to read the book themselves. When they become teenagers, it’s a great time to read books side by side. How many of us as adults fell in love with “Harry Potter” when our children started reading these books? My adult daughter and I exchange book titles, and now I share books with my teenage granddaughter! What a joy to pass on a love for reading to the next generations.
There are so many wonderful books out there, it’s often hard to narrow down the choices. Here are a few to get you started.
1. My First Book of Nursery Rhymes by Little Hippo Books (Editor), Sanja Rescek (Illustrator)
This beautifully illustrated, padded board book is a great way to start your little one on their journey of reading. It includes many of our favorite nursery rhymes like “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” and “This Little Piggy” that you can read and sing over and over as your child joins in. Their little hands will learn to hold it themselves as you continue to repeat these favorites.
2. The Year of Billy Miller by Kevin Henkes (Author, Illustrator)
Right before summer vacation ends, Billy Miller falls and bumps his head. With a big goose egg on his head, he has to start 2nd grade! He eventually learns how to navigate elementary school and even appreciates his little sister. Along the way, he becomes more grown-up and able to help more around the house. But not without lots of drama about homework assignments gone array, a poetry slam, and missed slumber parties. The kids will love this story and you will get a laugh out of reading it to them. Soon they will want to read it back to you and you will love it even more.
3. Worm and Caterpillar Are Friends by Kaz Windness (Author, Illustrator)
This delightful book celebrates the joy of true friendship. The Worm and the Caterpillar are best friends. They love how they are so much alike, but Caterpillar suspects that things are about to change. When he leaves for a while, only to come back as a Butterfly, will they still be friends? This is a terrific book for beginning readers with its graphic novel format and heartwarming story.
4. Children Who Dance in the Rain by Susan Justice (Author), Lena Bardy (Illustrator)
Young Sophie has about everything she needs and wants — loving parents, a nice, safe home and environment, and an iPad that consumes most of her time. When she travels with her family to India, her world changes forever. She meets children in a spartan mud colony, who despite their lack of worldly possessions, have a greater sense of joy and happiness than she can imagine. Seeing their gratitude for life’s small treasures, Sophie begins to appreciate all she has and finds herself thrust onto a path of self-discovery and wanting to make a difference in the world.
5. The Eyes and the Impossible by Dave Eggers (Author), Shawn Harris (Illustrator)
This Newbery Medal Winner story, told from the perspective of Johannes, an incredibly special dog, is perfect for middle-grade readers. Johannes lives in a park by the sea. His job is to be the Eyes of the park and report back to the park’s elders, who are three ancient Bison. His Assistant Eyes — a seagull, a raccoon, a squirrel, and a pelican — are his friends, too. They all work together to observe the humans and other animals who share the park and contribute to the Equilibrium for all. But changes are upsetting this balance as new buildings are being constructed and more humans and Trouble Travelers are invading their territory. And then comes a boatload of goats that threaten Johannes’s view of the world.
6. The Inheritance Games (Book 1) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
I struggled to find just the right book to read with a teenager. In the end, I found it in the first book of a mystery and suspense series that promises to engage teenagers and parents alike, and have you eagerly coming back for the next one in the series. Avery Grambs has set her sights on winning a scholarship and getting out of her working-class background. Things suddenly change when billionaire Tobias Hawthorne dies and leaves everything to Avery. She has no idea why and doesn’t even know who Tobias Hawthorne was. One of the stipulations to receive the fortune requires Avery to move into Tobias’s huge estate: Hawthorne House. Adding to the mystery is the fact that Tobias Hawthorne’s family still lives there. The four Hawthorne grandsons expected to inherit the billions that Avery now possesses and are convinced she is a con woman. Oh, let the games begin.
Our children are never too young or too old for us to read to them or with them. When they grow up and move away, you can still bond through this shared experience. You will know that you have started them on a lifetime of reading and that they can pass this passion on to your grandchildren!
