Choosing Children's Books

By Robert Grazian

Children need to have a variety of reading experiences if they are going to learn to make good decisions. How to choose children's books for your students is going to be challenging task, but if you follow a few recommended steps, you should end up with a variety of good, informational and interesting books for them to explore as they become discerning readers and decision makers.

Start your search by looking at the covers of books, the first thing your students will see. Your younger students will appreciate a cover that has primary colors, is simple, yet eye catching. The title of the book should be short enough to catch the interest of your reader, yet long enough to tell him or her what the book is about. Photos and clear, crisp illustrations on the cover will appeal to your students and entice them to pick the book up and open it.

The next step in the process of how to choose children's books for your students is to review the topic or content of the book. Your young readers will want to read books that are interesting, full of fun and adventure. These students are surrounded by information and they will want to read books that are filled with accurate as well as reliable information. To verify this, check the references provided by the author, review his or her credentials, and look for evidence of background research on the topic being presented.

The final three items to pay particular attention to when learning how to choose children's books for your students are:

• Illustrations: Graphic or visual elements in a text are sure to keep the reader coming back for more as long as they are appropriate for the book. They should be large enough so the child can determine what they are but not so big that they distract from the content of the book. There should be captions and or titles that are simple, yet explain the graphic adequately.

• Organization: Children's books should be organized in a way that will provide a clear, smooth transition between text and illustrations. If the book warrants it, there should be a table of contents and a glossary that the young reader can easily navigate to find items of interest.

• Font size and Type: This is the final step in your quest to discover how to choose children's books for your students. Font size and type is important for a number of reasons, readability being the most important. For younger children, the letters should be large and the font style simple. Small, more ornate fonts will be hard to read, distracting them from their goal: comprehension of the material. Check the spacing and placement of the words on the page to be sure the students can easily follow the story from one page to the next.

Choosing which books your young readers will want to read should not be difficult, despite the sheer numbers of available books out there, as long as you follow the steps outlined here.

Robert Grazian is an accomplished niche website developer and author.

To learn more about children's books visit Rare Children's Books Today for current articles and discussions.