How to choose books for children

Choose those with colourful illustrations
It’s important that your child develops reading strategies at a young age, says Matthew Scott, Head of Pre-School Courses at British Council, as this will help her to manage more challenging texts as her reading skills progress.

Pictures offer clues to the textual content so she finds it easier to deduce the meaning. They can also help her make predictions about the storyline.

Pick titles that can be read many times
Books read by you and your little one together can be experienced in various ways. Focus on punctuation during one reading, and decoding difficult words in the next. With younger learners, ask them about the pictures and get them to describe what they see.

Cover a range of subjects
Most children gravitate towards books that cover their favourite topics. To boost her language development, encourage your kid to explore other themes. It’s important that she builds her vocabulary and awareness of other subjects.

Select books that she understands
Your child needs to learn to read accurately – and comprehend what she’s reading. The content should be clear enough for her to grasp the meaning of the words and the storyline, says Matthew. So don’t accelerate to higher-level reading too soon, as it may do more harm than good.

Look for different language features
Books that use rhymes and rhythms work well with preschoolers. They help to consolidate new language structures in a fun and stimulating way.

Onomatopoeia, which involves words that imitate natural sounds, can help her learn phonics. As she becomes more confident, you can point her attention to speech marks and get her to vary her intonation to mimic different speakers in the text.

(Photo: 123RF.com)