Book Selection Criteria for BookStart Fund Books
Here are seven criteria that we believe make successful read-aloud books for children age birth through three. They should:
Appeal to both children and adult readers
Books that are fun for both parent and child are more likely to be read and re-read!
Include rhyme and rhythm, repetition and predictability
Babies and toddlers need to hear language that sings and soothes and entertains.
Include illustrations that invite close examination
Good illustrations entice children and adults to talk about what they are seeing and to relate it to their own lives.
Show diversity in the characters
All children should see themselves in some of their books, sometimes as the main character!
Present loving relationships among the characters and teach kindness by example
Children can learn to care about others through stories.
Be appropriate for the child’s age, in both the words and the pictures
Good children’s stories appeal to a broad age range, but in general the children in the story should match the listening child’s age.
Be fun and imaginative!
Children can learn concepts like numbers, letters, colors and shapes from books that are first of all fun and interesting!
And for The BookStart Fund, we choose wonderful books that we can purchase at quantity discounts of at least 50%.
