Today let’s talk about what we should read to our little ones.

With thousands of children’s books published each year, choosing can feel overwhelming. Poor quality literature may entertain, but it’s also mind-numbing.

High quality literature is thought-provoking as well as entertaining. It inspires greatness and character development, and doesn’t shy away from dealing with difficult topics.

Think of it this way: it’s our job to nourish our children’s minds as well as their bodies. My kids really love candy, but I don’t allow them to eat large amounts every day. It wouldn’t be healthy. I need to pay the same attention to the quality of reading material they digest.

Here’s how to choose the best books for your little ones.

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Last week I began a series about reading aloud to children. In my first post I wrote about why we should read to our children. This week I want to discuss where we should read to our little people.

Where we read to them? Does it matter — isn’t the sofa a good spot? Yes, of course. In our house we do most of our reading on the living room floor. It’s easy, convenient, and all three children have an equal opportunity to share Mommy’s lap.

But there are also times to shake things up a bit. To make memories and follow the “spark.” Special times to form new traditions and fill everyone’s love tanks.

Here are some ideas to add variety to your storytime locations.

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I recently finished The Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease, which has sold over one million copies. Amazing! This book furthered my passion for children’s literature, and inspired me to begin a series on the importance of reading with our children.

Not that it’s tough to excite me on this topic – as a former English major, I’m always looking for a good excuse to “talk” books. Being an avid reader myself, I hope my children grow to feel the same way. The Read-Aloud Handbook opened my eyes to even more benefits of reading aloud than those I knew before.

Here are a few of my thoughts and observations.

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