A Reader is Made

CS Lewis said, “Since it is so likely that children will meet cruel enemies, let them at least have heard of brave knights and heroic courage.” I read this quote when my Audrey was very young. I have always been a reader to my children. There is nothing in this world that fills my heart more than the cuddles at bedtime with freshly washed hair, sitting in the rocking chair reading my babies their favorite books.

There have been countless studies done proving the impact that reading to our children has on their development. The pediatric world has even begun implementing a program called “Reach Out and Read” to prove this impact to parents from a medical perspective. Reading takes time; it takes being intentional. I remember one day last summer my kids pulled every (and I mean every) storybook from their room and we read in Daddy’s lazy-boy for over two hours. It is one of the most precious memories I have in my motherhood journey. There are amazing books out there, but a lot of parents do not know where to start! I have compiled a list of books by ages that I hope will help you in your reading journey. My desire is that this leads to lots of cuddles and hearts being filled, both yours and your littles.

 

Newborn-1:

• Barnyard Dance! by Sandra Boynton
• Moo, Ba, La La La! by Sandra Boynton
• The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle
• The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
• Llama Llama Red Pajamas by Anna Dewdney
• Where Is Baby’s Belly Button? by Karen Katz
• Pat the Bunny by Dorothy Kunhardt
• Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr
• Good Night Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
• Good Night, Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann
• First 100 Words by Roger Priddy
• First 100 Animals by Roger Priddy

 

1 and 2:

• Blue Hat, Green Hat by Sandra Boynton
• Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown
• The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle
• The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown
• Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed by Eileen Christelow
• Llama, Llama Series by Anna Dewdney
• If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Joffe Numeroff
• Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site by Sheri Duskey Rinker
• Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You? by Dr. Suess
• One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish by Dr. Suess
• Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina
• Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae
• God Gave Us You by Lisa Tawn Bergren

 

3 and 4:

• Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
• Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey
• The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
• Madeline by Frank Asch
• Stone Soup by Marcia Brown
• The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton
• The Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen
• Corduroy by Don Freeman
• A Pocket for Corduroy by Don Freeman
• Pete the Cat Series by Eric Litwin
• Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson
• Martha Speaks by Susan Meddaugh
• Curious George by H.A. Rey and Margaret Rey
• What to Do With a Box by Jane Yolen

 

Kindergarten and 1st:

• Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett
• Henry Huggins Series by Beverly Cleary
• The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt and Oliver Jeffers
• Is Your Mama a Llama? by Deborah Guarino
• The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore by William Joyce
• The Magic Tree House Series by Mary Pope Osborne
• The Book with No Pictures by B.J. Novak
• Nate the Great Series by Majorie Weinman Sharmat
• Charlotte’s Web by E.B White
• Stuart Little by E.B White
• The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams
• Junie B. Jones Series by Barbra Park
• The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary

 

2nd and 3rd:

• Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
• The Narnia Series by C.S. Lewis
• The Little House Series by Laura Ingles Wilder
• Amelia Bedelia Series by Peggy Parish
• Judy Moody Series by Megan McDonald
• The Boxcar Children Series by Scott O’Dell
• In the Tree House by Andrew Larson
• The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo
• James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
• The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling
• Nancy Drew Series by Carolyn Keene
• Hardy Boys Series by Edward L. Stratemeyer
• Sara, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan

 

4th and 5th:

• How to Train Your Dragon Series by Cressida Cowell
• Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
• My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
• The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynn Reid Banks
• Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series by Jeff Kinney
• A Wrinkle in Time Series by Madeleine L’Engle
• Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
• Percy Jackson Series by Rick Riordan
• Big Nate Series by Lincoln Pierce
• A Series of Unfortunate Events Series by Lemony Snicket
• Encyclopedia Brown Series by Donald J Sobol
• The Prince Warrior Series by Priscilla Shirer

 

Picture Credit: The Story Shop in Monroe, Ga

Edit By: Jordan Johnstone