Lists of Popular Books to Read to Children
http://www.plaintales.com/free-resources/teachers-guide/
Benefits of Reading Aloud to Children and Top Ten Read Aloud Books
http://www.sixwise.com/newsletters/07/02/07/reading-aloud-to-kids-the-12-benefits-of-reading-books-out-loud-to-children-of-all-ages.htm
Reading to my grandchildren is a delightful and heartwarming learning experience for me. I love to hold them when I read to them and to witness their excitement at hearing a favorite book again and again.
One of my my granddaughter's favorite books is If You Give a Pig A Pancake. Every holiday season after she was born, I read The Twelve Days of Christmas aloud to her [Courage Books, Don Daily illustrations]. By the time she was three, she could sing along with me. She is still fascinated with the partridge 'in a pear tree."
My two and one-half year old grandson loves The Not-So-Itsy-Bitsy Spider pop up book, a story about a birthday party for bugs that the spider is not invited to. Just this year, he asked me why the bugs were so mean not to invite the spider. That's a pretty big inference for a two-year old. We also read aphabet books together. He recites a letter then picks up a flag to see an image representing that letter, such as A is for Apple. Q and Z are his favorite letters. He says, "Q is for Queen Pat [that's me]. And Z is for ZEBRA!"
Children who are read to begin to associate reading with being held or cuddled, with soft or excited voices, and with love and attention. Like little sponges, they absorb details, mimic the reader, memorize information, increase their attention spans, and develop vocabulary.
As a high-school teacher, I often lamented the fact that some students abhorred reading. They were so absorbed with media images from computers and television that holding a book sometimes seemed torturous. We have to wonder what happens when kids lose that spark of excitement for reading as they grow older.
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