Tips for choosing age-appropriate books for your child

• Bright, bold, simple pictures still catch the eye. Try to find books with photos of familiar objects or activities or set in a familiar place, like at the park.
• Durable books are still useful at this age, board books with thick pages make page turning easier.
• To develop your child’s oral language skills, pick books with short, simple stories or stories with rhyme and repetition. One to two sentences per page is just right!
• Children are developing particular interests; choose books that match his interests, like animals, vehicles, or characters– like Elmo or Dora.
• Tactile and moveable books like touch-and-feel, pop-up, or pull the tab give him the opportunity to explore and help to keep his attention.
• Continue to read wordless books to promote oral language development and vocabulary skills.

Reading tip! Your toddler may get tired before you finish a book; keep in mind you don’t have to finish every book you start. On the other hand, he may be busy moving around a lot while you are reading, he is most likely still listening to the story.

• Go, Dog, Go by P.D. Eastman
• Maisy’s Big Flap Book by Lucy Cousins
• Clip-Clop by Nicola Smee
• Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell
• The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
• You Are my Perfect Baby by Joyce Carole Thomas
• The Wheels on the Bus by Paul O. Zelinsky