How to Pick a Children's Book for Your Child?

Children’s books open a whole new world for children. They love looking at colourful pictures all the time and usually like to spend their day on a single day.

There is a variety of children’s books available in the market as well as online. Parents can choose from this wide variety available for their kids.

First off, there are books for infants such as first words, numbers, animals, birds etc. These books help create a solid foundation in the infant’s and toddler’s minds of the things that they will be encountering in the future once they attend school.

Then, there are picture books with only a few sentences. These help children increase their habit of reading and they enjoy these books very much. Usually, parents read these books out to them as they are still too small to read the full book. But, children whose milestones are fast when growing up, start reading from ages as small as 2-3 years old.

Then come the books that have slightly complex sentences. These are for children who are in the age group of above 3 years. These books are usually short, around 10-15 pages.

After these come short novels, that children in the age group of 9-11 years can read with ease. These either have colourful or black and white pictures that keep them occupied for hours.

After this, some books are for the age groups above 11 years. These usually don’t have many pictures and contain mostly written words throughout the book.

But, in this blog, we will be talking solely about children’s books and what are some of the factors that parents must keep in mind when they are buying books for their children.

Having the correct specifications in mind is crucial and essential as it helps to foster a reader for the future. Try not to pick a book that can prove to be a mood spoiler for your child.

Let us discuss some of the factors that are important when you are selecting a children’s book for your child.

Factors which parents must keep in mind when selecting a book for their child

1. Choose books that have a story which the children can relate to. If the book has the characters that have their hopes and dreams that they need to fulfil by the end of the book, and your child is showing interest in that story, then it will be a fruitful read for you and your child.

2. Secondly, the book should contain a moral but it should not be too overpowering. It should be very subtle as the child is trying to enjoy the story more than caring too much about the moral. Or when learning numbers, alphabets, animals etc., it should be in a fun way in books that do not allow the child to close the book. Good books usually have the moral intricately woven into the story.

3. Do not try to feed your child with books that were your personal favourites when growing up. Things and times change when you have children of your own. So, try to be mindful of your child’s favourites and pick books according to your child’s tastes. This helps to strengthen the bonds between you and your child.

4. Most importantly, a children’s book must not be too difficult to read for the child. It should contain very simple sentences and words that are easy to follow for you and your child.

5. The number of illustrations should be more than the words. This helps children understand the story better. Usually, pictures attract children more. Nowadays, we see many birthday parties with children’s favourite storybooks or film characters. This is the power of pictures in a child’s life.

6. We all know how children love reading stories aloud. So, children’s books help in this very purpose. They are so easy to read that parents can read them day in and day out to children and kids never feel bored of these books anytime.

7. Children usually want all the books that are trending on the reading list. For example, your children visit their friend’s home and discover a trending storybook. So, when you come home, your child will demand the same book instantly. So, do not scold your child if he or she demands a similar book. Instead encourage and praise your child for showing an interest in reading a new book. Buy the book for your child and enjoy reading a new story.

8. Allow your children to choose books according to their age. Age-appropriate books are good and contain a wide variety of books for children that are ultimately good books for your little ones. The best way to get age-appropriate books is to subscribe to a book box as it helps your child to get books of their choice and allows them to build a small library of their own.

9. When choosing a children’s book always keep in mind whether the content inside the book is appropriate for your child or not.

10. Another important thing to consider when buying books for your child is looking through the illustrations well. If the book has a poor quality of illustrations, these can spoil the reading mood in an instant.

11. One more thing to keep in mind is whether the story is written in a child-friendly way, meaning that your child can understand and follow the story easily.

12. The text should contain information that the child can read and interpret in his or her way.

So, these are our tips for parents who want to purchase books for their children for the first time. Even if you are an experienced parent, then also keeping these tips in mind will help you in shopping for children’s books.