Lifetime Reads' Top 5 Books to Inspire Young Readers

"Children are made readers in the laps of their parents."

- Emilee Buchwald

One of the best things we can do for our children is to instill in them a love for literature. The right books help our children experience joy, cope with new emotions and challenges and gain understanding of the world around them. With that in mind, here are five great books to introduce to your little readers.

1. 1 2 3 Counting This book is the ultimate tummy-time book! When babies are first born, they only see in black and white, so the high-contrast patterns on this fold-out book are perfect for keeping your baby's interest!  As your child gets older, this book is also a great starter for learning numbers and practicing counting.
                                
2. That's Not My Puppy This book is part of our best-selling series of textured books. Each page has a touchy-feely patch, a hidden mouse to find and a simple line of text. Your child will be "reading" to you before you know it, which builds their confidence and excitement for actual reading later on.
                                
3. Very First Book of Things to Spot Your child will love spotting animals, vehicles, food and more. As you read the book, you'll be given prompts of things to find - "Find a planet with ORANGE stripes," "Spot THREE starfish" or "Who is standing in a puddle?"  This book will help your child notice details not only in the book, but also in the world around them. This book is great for language development, visual discrimination and building attention span. 
                               
4. Muddle and Match Jungle Animals Each page of this book is divided into three separate sections, so your child can mix and match the characters and storylines. Kids will love the alliterations when the stories are read correctly and will laugh as the stories get mixed up. Plus, the board pages are thick and durable, so they're perfect for playtime and working on the fine-motor skills required to flip pages.
                              
5. Jonathan James & the Whatif Monster We all have a "Whatif Monster" that tells us all the things to worry about and that keeps us from trying new things.

What if it's hard? What if you're bad? What if they laugh and make you feel sad?

But Jonathan James learned to talk to his Whatif Monster.

"Now wait just a minute! I have something to say, after hearing 'what ifs' all through the day. I hear all your worries; I hear all your claims. But what if you're wrong?" asks Jonathan James.

... what if I run in a really big race, and have a great time no matter what place?

                  This inspiring book helps your child work through their worries as they watch Jonathan James work through his.

Remember, no matter which books you share with your children, the most important thing is to read out loud to them. As Jim Trelease, author of The Read Aloud Handbook said, " Reading aloud is the best advertisement because it works. It allows a child to sample the delights of reading and conditions him to believe that reading is a pleasureful experience, not a painful or boring one." If you're on the hunt for some great books, I'm happy to give personalized recommendations based on your child's age and interests. Shoot me an email at [email protected] or follow me on Instagram - @LifetimeReader.