Home Library Book Recommendations: Great Reads from 0-5+ years
Posted: July 6th, 2008Today Miki brings you some more wonderful books to read with your kids.
I must say that ‘Goodnight Gorilla’ is one of my kids all-time faves: they are almost four now and still love it! A wordless masterpiece, exercise your imagination and have fun making up your own stories to accompany the illustrations 
This month KidStyleFile’s chosen charity is Jeans for Genes, the major fundraiser of the Children’s Medical Research Institute. The CMRI work towards prevention and better treatments for the one in twenty Australian children that are born with some form of genetic fault or disorder.
Purchase from Fishpond - www.fishpond.com.au by clicking through the links on KidStyleFile, and 10% of your purchases until July 31 will be donated to Jeans for Genes. Remember also that Fishpond also rewards all orders over $50.00 with FREE postage.
Alternately (or additionally!) follow our lead and make a direct donation to Jeans for Jeans here.
Also, keep your eyes peeled for fundraising merchandise and join the Jeans for Genes Day ‘Mass Denimstration’ on August 1.
Read more KidStyleFile Book Reviews here.
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This week I’ve decided to do a book for each year of your child’s life from birth to five. Keep in mind that these age divides are just a very rough guide and kids on either side of my recommended age are just as likely to enjoy them!
Books are such a great way for kids to grow and learn, and they provide really special ‘awwwww’ parent and child moments. Who can resist snuggling up with their clean, pyjama’d, sleepy little one for a bedtime story?
I’ve provided links to all the books at Fishpond - www.fishpond.com.au, so introducing them to your library is easy peasy - especially at these discounts! And don’t forget that 10% of your total order, providing you include at least one of the books below, is donated to Jeans for Genes.
The first year:
Good Night, Gorilla (or Good Night, Gorilla Oversized Board Book, great for little fingers)
The real beauty of this book is that the text is very minimal, which lets those entertaining, detailed and vibrant pictures tell the story. It also means that parents aren’t limited to the words on the page when reading the book, they can talk it through in their own words to the baby. Follow the mischievous little gorilla who nicks off with the zookeeper’s keys at bedtime and the high jinx that ensue.
Two year olds:
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault, from $20.99 $14.32
An alphabet book, and such a cool one! Kids will adore the vibrant illustrations and the rhythm and rhyme. There’s a real Caribbean feel which adds to the swing. This one really is perfect for two year olds, they’ll be chanting along with you by the second reading. You can’t do better for encouraging them to recognise letters either. It’s a favourite in every house I’ve seen it in, so you cannot go wrong here.
Three year olds:
The Family Book by Todd Parr, from $14.99 $13.46
Three year olds are very curious little critters, and chances are they’re starting to take some sort of notice of their friends’ family make-ups. Why does Milly live with her mummy but not her daddy? Why does Thomas have two mummies? ‘The Family Book’ is a great one to read, not only for the bright, simple illustrations but also for the central message: that families come in all shapes and sizes but all rely on each other for love and support. It’s a great one for the ‘warm and fuzzies’ and can be the kick-off point for some lovely parent/pre-schooler discussions.
Four year olds:
The Three Snow Bears by Jan Brett, $41.99 $22.37
A fascinating ‘re-make’ of the classic Goldilocks tale, and will be best appreciated by kids who already know that story, this is the three bears set in Alaska. Goldilocks in this case is a little Inuit girl named Aloo-ki and the bears are polar bears. Four year olds will love combing through the book and discussing the differences between this and the classic Goldilocks tale. You might even like to have a copy of both on hand, so here’s a link to just one of the many available at Fishpond.
Five year olds:
10 Little Rubber Ducks by Eric Carle, from $48.99 $24.50
Eric Carle - yes, the same Eric Carle who brough us ‘The Hungry Little Caterpillar’ - based this gorgeous little story on a real life event: an incident in 1992 when a shipping container with tens of thousands of rubber bath toys (not just duckies but also beavers, frogs and turtles) was lost overboard at sea. This book is Carle’s imaginings of where ten of those little rubber ducks might have ended up and who they might have met.
Fishpond ships order over AUD$50.00 FREE.
