Literature is part of our lives. It should be enhanced from an early age. Children should love and enjoy books at an early stage in order to develop emotionally and mentally. It also provides an avenue for adults to share feelings, emotions and concerns about the child’s world. At one point it might be a challenge when asked to choose books for preschoolers. There might be no rules but its good to consider the following.
Print/Text: Are the letters printed in large or small print? Preschoolers are more comfortable reading large print because their eyesight has not developed fully.
Pictures and illustrations: Same as print, the pictures should be large, legible and colourful. They should not have many details to avoid confusion.
Physical details: Are the pages easy to turn? Board books, for toddlers or children who have a physical handicap allow children who have not developed fine motor skills to successfully turn pages. The books should also be easy to carry around, strong binding with quality durable paper. To some extent cloth books can be considered.
Story plot: Is the story written in a fast moving plot with a positive closing? Children’s books often have a happy-ever-after ending.
Language: Does the language contain rhyming words, funny characters and phrases, an interesting plot and a surprise or predictable closing?
What is the repetitive quality of the book? That is, is this one the child will request being read to several times?
Some books for preschoolers come in different formats
- Board books
- Touchy-feely books
- Toy and movable books (with Pop-ups, flap, jigsaw puzzles, etc)
- Picture books with no text
- Cloth books
