The Lost Package, by Richard Ho
A package is sent by a young girl. The Post Office truck hits a bump in the road and the package falls off the truck. A boy finds the package. His mom says that they can’t keep the package because it belongs to someone else. They decide to deliver the package themselves. The story helps children with conscience development. The parent says that we can’t keep this because it does not belong to us but we can take it to the person who it does belong to.
llama llama’s Little Lie, by Anna Dewdney
Llama and Nelly are playing in the house and Mama is outside. They get excited while playing, and they start jumping on the couch and throwing pillows. Llama throws a ball and breaks Mama’s glass picture frame. At first he tells Mama that he didn’t do it, but then he tells the truth. Mama says, “We can fix it.” This story helps children learn that some things can be fixed. They will get a good feeling by helping to fix what they have broken.
Look out Kindergarten, Here I Come, by Nancy Carson
Henry as two-way feelings about going to kindergarten. He wants to be a bigger boy and go to kindergarten, but he is also worried because he can’t read and there are lots of new children. Henry’s teacher and his mom help him get used to school.
This book will be helpful to children who are now visiting kindergarten classrooms and it will also help them when they begin school in September. They will see that some things are the same in kindergarten as they are in preschool and they will also learn new things. The book will help them talk about two-way feelings, such as being excited but worried at the same time.
How to pick a great children’s book
The selection of books is as important as the selection of toys. Young children have incomplete information for understanding the world around them, which results in what we often refer to as “magical thinking”: explanations for things that don’t make sense to adults. Magical thinking can make it difficult to know what’s going on in a child’s mind, and may lead to unexpected reactions of fear or stress.
Here are some thoughts about selecting appropriate books:
- Look for pictures that may be scary to a young child. Is there a fire? Do the animals have long sharp teeth? Are there depictions of things that you know are troubling to your child specifically?
Acierno
- Is the vocabulary suitable? Are the words scary, like yelping, snarling and hissing sounds. Are there references to violence or antisocial behavior – fighting or throwing things?
- Is it developmentally appropriate? 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.
For more insights about selecting books and reading with young children, look at our original list of 100 great children’s books.
Book links go to Amazon and generate a small donation to Hanna Perkins Center when used to make a purchase.
Other blog posts that might be of interest:
FEB
2024
About the Author:
Bob Rosenbaum manages the website and other communications functions for Hanna Perkins Center.