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The selection of books is as important as the selection of toys. Most children will sit and enjoy when we read to then, so this is our chance to pass on the love of literature and of reading, to teach facts, values and the pronunciation of words.

As you look at pictures in books and identify the objects, the child learns that abstract picture symbols represent real things. Soon the transition will be made to understanding abstract letter symbols. It is better to have only a few good books then to have many which are unworthy of a young child’s developing mind.

As you make careful selections of books, provide a book shelf or some other easily accessible place to keep them, so that the child can easily find the one she wants, can care for them and easily put them away.

Books for young children should be uncluttered and simple with a clear presentation of the important concepts. The first words that children learn are nouns – the objects of everyday life.

The pleasure in reading is in the meaningful relationship the infant or young child has with the primary care giver. Books become meaningful when they are part of a one-on-one relationship with the mother or mothering person; they are a sweet addition to the loving relationship that exists between the child and care giver.

The first thing I look for in a book is whether there any scary pictures. Is there a fire? Do the animals have long sharp teeth? Look at the text of each book and decide if the vocabulary is appropriate. Are the words scary  – i.e. yelping, snarling and hissing sounds. Are there references to violence or antisocial behavior – fighting or throwing things?

I think about what questions or worries the child – your child – may have about a picture or phrase that is used in the book. Children will have their own thoughts, ideas and fantasies about the story that is being read. A child may have had frightening experiences with a dog or horse and you wouldn’t choose a book about these animals.

When a child’s feelings or worries are big they get in the way of what you are trying to teach. So a story with scary pictures or words may get in the way of a child learning a new concept.

As we read, we help our children move along the continuum from learning to read books toward reading to learn from books.

You will need to read books over and over because children learn from repetition. However in some cases, the wish to have something repeated does not always stem from liking it. If a child finds a book to be scary, the desire to have it repeated can be motivated by a need to play an active role in controlling when he or she has that scared feeling.

They ask for the scary book to be the boss of when they feel scared. They want things repeated to learn how to manage worried feelings. In fact, rather than practicing being scared, children may benefit more by talking about what gives them scared feelings. Let them know you have the same feelings.

With that introduction here are 100 great books for reading with your kids. The links go to Amazon, and will generate a small donation to Hanna Perkins Center when used to make a purchase.

1. Goodnight Moon, Margaret Wise Brown
2. Little Turtle’s Big Adventure, David Harrison
3. Do Like Kyla, Angela Johnson
4. Why Do You Cry?, Kate Klise
5. Boots, Anne Schreiber
6. Shawn Goes to School, Petronella Breinberg
7. New Shoes for Silvia, Johanna Hurwitz
8. Shades of Black, Sandra Pinkney
9. Kevin and His Dad, Irene Small
10. Something is Going to Happen, Charlotte Zolotow
11. The Little Red Hen, Byron Barton
12. The Jacket I Wear in the Snow, Shirley Neitzel
13. The Kissing Hand, Audrey Penn
14. If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, Laura Joffe Numeroff
15. Freight Train, Donald Crews
16. The Snowy Day, Ezra Jack Keats
17. Green Eyes, A. Birnbaum
18. Jonathan and His Mommy, Irene Smalls
19. Kitten for a Day, Ezra Jack Keats
20. Alphabet Under Construction, Denise Fleming
21. Snowmen at Night, Caralyn Buehner
22. From My Window, Olive Wong
23. Mama, If you Had a Wish, Jeanne Modesitt
24. Big Wheels, Anne Rockwell
25. Feelings, Susan Canezans
26. The First Snowfall, Anne and Harlow Rockwell
27. Little Quack’s Hide and Seek, Lauren Thompson
28. Too Big, Too Small, Just Right, Frances Minters
29. A Winter Day, Douglas Florian
30. Don’t You Feel Well, Sam, Amy Hest
31. My World, Margaret Wise Brown
32. The Important Book, Margaret Wise Brown
33. When This Box is Full, Patricia Lillie
34. Snow on Snow on Snow, Cheryl Chapman
35. Michael and the Cats, Barbara Abercrombie
36. Ten, Nine, Eight, Molly Bang
37. The Way Mothers Are, Meriam Schlein
38. My Spring Robin, Anne Rockwell
39. Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, Mo Willems
40. Big Fat Hen, Keith Baker
41. Anno’s Counting Book, Mitsumasa Anno
42. The Line-Up Book, Marisa Bena Russo
43. Rain Drop Plop, Wendy Cheyetle
44. Feast for Ten, Cathryn Falwell
45. Caps for Sale, Esphyr Slobodkina
46. On Mother’s Lap, Ann Herbert Scott
47. What a Wonderful World, George David Weiss and Bob Thiele
48. Duck on a Bike, David Shannon
49. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, Bill Martin Jr.
50. Mama Always Comes Home, Karma Wilson
51. Mommy Always Comes Back, Constances Miller
52. Frog and Toad are Friends, Arnold Lobel
53. The Gigantic Turnip, Alekei Tolstoy
54. School, Emily Arnold McCully
55. One Happy Classroom, Charnan Simon
56. What Comes in 2’s, 3’s and 4’s, Suzanne Aker
57. On My Way to Buy Eggs, Chah-Yuan Chen
58. Brown Bear Brown Bear, What Do You See?, Bill Marlin Junior
59. Let’s Go Home Little Bear, Martin Waddell
60. My Cat, Judy Taylor
61. Kitten’s First Full Moon, Kevin Henke
62. The Littlest Owl, Caroline Pitcher
63. Gooseberry Goose, Claire Freeman
64. School isn’t Fair, Patricia Baehr
65. Little by Little, Amber Stewart
66. Jamaica Tag-Along, Juanita Havill
67. Rain, Kalan/Crews
68. All About Me, teacher-created materials
69. When I Feel Angry, Cornelia Maude Spelman
70. Just My Size, May Garelick
71. One of Three, Angela Johnson
72. Sing a Song of People, Lois Lenski
73. A Tree is Nice, Janice Udry
74. Ruby in Her Own Time, Jonathan Emmett
75. The Runaway Bunny, Margaret Wise Brown
76. Snowballs, Lois Ehlert
77. Sadie and the Snowman, Allen Morgan and Brenda Clark
78. Llama Llama Mad at Mama, Anna Dewdney
79. Growing Like Me, Anne Rockwell
80. The Friend, John Burningham
81. Clementine’s Winter Wardrobe, Kate Spohn
82. Why Do Grown-ups Have All the Fun, Marisakina Russo
83. The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Eric Carle
84. The Fat Cat Sat on the Mat, Alice Cameron
85. The Mitten, Jan Brett
86. All You Need for a Snowman, Alice Shertle
87. The Bus for Us, Suzanne Bloom
88. Over On the Farm, Christopher Gunson
89. Block City, Robert Louis Stevenson and Daniel Kirk
90. Something from Nothing, Phoebe Gilman
91. One Magical Day, Claire Freedman
92. My Spring Robin, Anne Rockwell
93. Alphabet City, Stephen Johnson
94. All the World, Liz Garten Scanlon
95. Flower Garden, Eve Bunting
96. Fall Leaves Fall, Shari Halpern
97. Jamaica’s Find, Juanita Havill
98. Jamaica and Briana, Juanita Havill
99. Fiesta, Ginger Foglesong Guy
100. The Tortilla Factory, Gary Paulsen