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Text is sparse (books may even
be wordless) with the illustrations carrying the "story".
These books range from those which have no plot (they display
familiar objects and settings to the youngest reader) to those
with simple, familiar, welcoming storylines.
As a Caterpillar, your child will
learn to walk and talk and take first baby steps to independence.
There's a wide gap between 6 months and 3 years . But even a
child of a few months can listen to the rhythm of your voice and
enjoy the visual feast of pictures. Music and word rhythms are
a great way to introduce even the youngest child to the joys of
language. As your child gains confidence in the use of his/her body
and words, s/he will enjoy stories which reflect this growth and
confidence: silly rhymes and nonsense words and stories where the
child bests the parent.
Babies love looking at other babies.
Toddlers happily let animals (such as Peter Rabbit) take their place
in adventures which might hit too close to home if played by a child.
(The line between real and pretend is not very distinct for this
age group.)
When your little one can sit for
a minute, don't be a slave to the written words in these books.
Because attention spans are short, it's fair game to customize the
reading to your particular child. You may have to fly through with
only a key word or two. Equally, you may want to embellish the text
with little side stories, sound effects and questions.
The key at this stage
is to get across the idea that books are fun ways to explore and
reflect ideas and experiences. Some books will enhance this
notion with little physical tricks (such as opening doors in Where's
Spot or the caterpillar's trail - in the form of finger holes
- in The Very Hungry Caterpillar). In these two examples,
these devices are illustrative mirrors of the story idea (as opposed
to being commercial gadgets tacked on to take advantage of a trend.)
You'll get a sense from the great children's
books that the author/illustrator respects that children are important
people not to be talked down to. The sappy condescending drivel
of Care Bears won't enter into great children's literature. There
won't be a fear of using bigger words or touching on important themes.
As with all age ranges, the key to success is to make your child
an equal partner in the adventure. Get both of you involved with
the book, and have fun!
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