Many of us begin our reading lives by being read to. This is one important step in becoming a life-long reader, as is having access to books. Dolly Parton is such a strong advocate for getting books into the hands of children that she founded Dolly Parton's Imagination Library to gift books to children from birth to five years old. According to the site, 143 million books have been gifted as of August 2020. This is not the only program of this kind because being read to and having books is crucial for child development as well as future success. Reading is Fundamental is another organization that seeks to get books into the hands of all children.
Each night before bed my brother and I were treated to a story. Sometimes two. Those times with my brother are the earliest memories I have, but I know I was being read to before he came along. I also know that having books and hearing books is what started my love of books and reading.
We both liked the Dr. Seuss books, in particular One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish and Fox in Socks, both of which my father claims he can still recite. While neither of these is truly a story, they both feature rhyme and word play that I appreciate as an adult reader. In my favorite part of One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish a "nook has a hook on which is a book about how to cook" and in Fox in Socks I am partial to the segment about the "tweetle beetle battle."
There were others I favored because I enjoyed the story. One I loved and still do is Christina Katerina and the Box by Patricia Lee Gauch. It is the story of Christina and her friend Fats Watson and the days following a new refrigerator and its box coming into Christina's home. The two friends turn the box into all manner of fantastic things including a castle and a race car.
Others I remember are The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats and Best Friends for Frances by Russell Hoban. We were fortunate to have many books in our home to choose from and read on our own, once we could. (Being able to choose ones own books is an important element to becoming a lover of books and reading.) I was excited to learn to read and was able to do so quickly.
When I got to school and had access to the school library I branched out. An early favorite was The Girl who Loved Wild Horses by Paul Goble, which won the 1978 Caldecott Medal and depicts the story of a girl of the Plains Indians of North America. [Goble's work is generally accepted as a respectful and accurate depiction of the Plains Indians as he was "adopted into the Yakima and Sioux tribes (with the name Wakinyan Chikala, “Little Thunder”) by Chief Edgar Red Cloud" in 1959.] I checked out this beautiful story as many times in a row as I was allowed then checked it out again once other students had had a chance. I own a number of copies today.
Another book I have fond memories of and still own is The Star Wars Storybook that I woke up early on weekend mornings to read in bed before breakfast.
As a high school librarian I am rarely asked for picture book recommendations, but as a school librarian it is important for me to be familiar with books for all levels of readers, because not all high school students read at a high school level and I might not always be a high school librarian. I have also over the years shopped for books for friends as they became parents.
My most reliable sources for knowing what is being published are:
- School Library Journal and Booklist reviews
- Awards lists
- Browsing in bookstores
I try to buy books that are current and not just fall back on old favorites. I like to explore new authors when possible knowing as this post from Book Riot reasons, many of the favorites of the parents as well as those buying the books are outdated without a broad or diverse viewpoint, and more practically may be purchased many times over for a new reader.
Some recent books I have purchased either for my library or as gifts:
| The Undefeated | Kwame Alexander & Kadir Nelson | |
| Hello Lighthouse | Sophie Blackall | |
| Maybe Something Beautiful | F. Isabel Campoy & Theresa Howell | |
| Stellaluna | Janell Cannon | |
| Last Stop on Market Street | Matt de la Peña | |
| Henry Hikes to Fitchburg | D.B. Johnson | |
| The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore | William Joyce & Joe Bluhm | |
| Drawn Together | Minh Lê & Dan Santat | |
| Julián is a Mermaid | Jessica Love | |
| The Word Collector | Peter H. Reynolds | |
| And Tango Makes Three | Justin Richardson, Peter Parnell, & Henry Cole | |
| Parrots Over Puerto Rico | Susan L. Roth & Cindy Trumbore | |
| The House in the Night | Susan Marie Swanson & Beth Krommes | |
| The Insomniacs | Karina Wolf & Brothers Hilts | |
|
What Do You Do With an Idea? What Do You Do With a Problem?What Do You Do With a Chance? |
Kobi Yamada & Mae Besom |
What are some of your favorite picture books to read and gift?
