On Books for Children: Some Practical Pointers

When people come and visit our humble home, the first thing they see in the living area (I can't even call it a room, since we only live in an apartment, ha, ha) is a tall bookshelf filled with -- what else? -- books. All of which are children's books. Upstairs, in what used to be the yaya's room (we've been "surviving" without a yaya for about three months now, but the story behind that is for another post) is another bookshelf with kids' books and multi-purpose bags filled with - yup, you guessed it - books again.

So yes, this is some sort of a confession for me: We are book-lovers ("addicts" is a more appropriate term, according to my husband!). As a child, I loved reading books, including comic books (alas, our huge collection of Archie comics fell victim to the floodwaters of Ondoy years ago). I loved going to the bookstore and I loved receiving books as prizes in school. So it's no wonder then that I hope the same for my kids - that they will grow up loving books, loving reading and loving learning through books.

But here’s another confession: When my husband and I became parents, we were a bit clueless as to what kind of books to get for our firstborn. We thought that any type of books would do, so we mostly bought board books and cloth books without considering the content or the story in each book. When our son was a bit older - in his toddler years - we bought books based on different popular TV characters like The Backyardigans, Diego and the like, some of which were quite pricey as we bought everything brand-new.

When we started exploring homeschooling seriously though, I eventually discovered that books such as the ones I just mentioned are considered "fluff," because they are not of much substance. I learned to select quality children's books that have storylines and plots that have remained much-loved and treasured throughout generations. I learned to love classic children’s books - many of which I had never encountered before in my life - and I have found ways to introduce them to my kids and make the books as "springboards" for learning and discussion in our homeschool (many thanks to sites like www.FiveInARow.com, www.TheLearningBasket.com and www.HomeschoolShare.com).

Presently, as a homeschool and "teach-children-to-love-reading" advocate - whether or not they’re homeschooled - I hope to encourage people to be more selective when choosing books for children. Here are some pointers to keep in mind:

--  Look for award-winning books and authors. I usually look for books that are Caldecott Medal and Newbery Medal awardees. Locally, I have found such books available at Book Sale and The Learning Basket (an online store at http://shop.thelearningbasket.com/).

The only disadvantage of looking for such books at secondhand bookstores like Book Sale is that one has to scour through all the books on display before finding one or a few award-winning books. On unlucky days, such searches are unfruitful. With The Learning Basket, however, it is more convenient since books have already been pre-selected, and the selection of books already includes award-winners.

--  Know what the child's interests are and try selecting books that will capture his or her attention. For example, my daughter loves anything ballet, and so we choose to buy her books that have ballet themes. Some books may be more advanced for her level in terms of the types of words used, and the length of the story, but even so, she still enjoys reading them together (or to be more precise, me reading them to her).

-- Look for recommended book titles from friends, teachers and -- if you’re lucky to know one -- librarians. You can also turn to Google for help. Just type "classic children’s books" or "quality children's books."

--  If you’re going to a brick and mortar bookstore like Book Sale or National Bookstore to buy books, don’t let your kids select just any book. I’ve made this "mistake" a few times before and we usually end up with "fluff." So what I do now, is choose several books that I consider of good quality and content and let the kids pick one from the options I give them. (Admittedly though, on some occasions, I give in and buy "fluff" books!)

I hope that with these practical pointers, more people will opt to look for quality, classic children’s books for the children in their lives. And, as food for thought, I’d like to leave you with this quote from one of my favorite books:

"So, please, oh please, we beg, we pray, go throw your TV set away, and in its place you can install, a lovely bookcase on the wall." – Roald Dahl, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory