Article

What makes a good childrens book

Isabel Baker

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There were more than 5,000 children’s books published last year, twice as many as in 1975, but how is a teacher to choose the right books? Who would have thought that saying goodnight to the moon, to mush, and to nobody, would make Goodnight Moon a timeless bestseller and just the right choice for a young child? Selecting good books is more important than ever because there is so much competition for the quality time you spend with the children in your care. Every minute spent reading a mediocre book is time taken away from reading a good one. So, how does one know what makes a good children’s book? What follows are some guidelines to keep in mind at the library or bookstore.

Setting

Is it familiar, clear, and authentic? Most young children have never planted vegetables before, but city kids and country kids alike identify with the setting in The Carrot Seed because they can see the determined little boy in themselves.

Character development

Do the characters grow, change, and touch our hearts? Are they consistent, believable and whole, as opposed to flat and one-dimensional? Children relate to both the monkeys and the peddler in Caps for Sale. The monkeys have fun taking the peddler’s caps, and the peddler becomes frustrated with the monkey business.

Plot

Is there tension? Is there a goal? Corduroy wants a home and the Three Billy Goats need to cross the bridge. It is often through plot-driven obstacles like these that good stories develop.

Theme

Is there a central theme that holds it together? Will the reader become involved in the story or sit passively while being lectured to? There is a wide variety of books published today, but children are still attracted to books with a strong core and universal themes such as good vs. evil, hard work will be rewarded, or cleverness is more important than power.

Language

Children’s books are difficult to write because they must convey an entire story using very few words. Does the language show respect for the reader? Children love the security of predictable books with rhythm and repetition. The language can be simple as in Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? or more complex as in Madeline.

Art

Are the illustrations bold and in good taste, or overly detailed and busy? More is not better. Does your eye know where to go when you first look at the page? Color does not automatically equal quality and beautiful illustrations do not automatically mean a good story. Make Way for Ducklings, Millions of Cats, and The Story of Ferdinand have been favorites for decades yet they all have two color illustrations, black and white.

Cover-to-cover

Like a piece of art, a good children’s book is greater than the sum of its parts. It is honest, has a sense of wonder, and shows respect for the young child. The text and illustrations are integrated to raise the quality of the book. Goodnight Moon and More More More, Said the Baby are two examples that have that sense of wonder and respect that is hard to quantify.

Tips by age group

In general, the younger the child, the more the teacher is in charge of choosing books. What a teacher chooses for a young child is “required” reading so it should be the best of the best. Why waste time reading something mediocre? As a child gets older, the sense of freedom and confidence she gains from choosing her own books at school or the library is enormous and valuable. A year four child who is hooked on a book series, even if the series is not particularly literary, will only benefit and be encouraged to read more more more.

Baby/toddler

• Safe, child-safe, and sturdy board books. Introduce to hardcovers.
• Rhyme, rhythm, Mother Goose, song, chant books, “pointing” and identification books.
• Bold, simple illustrations that are not busy or messy. One Mother Goose rhyme per page is more inviting than a busy spread that is chock-full.
• Reading aloud is relationship based and often initiated by the adult. Frequently a book is not read cover-to-cover; there is a lot of back-and-forth of page turning and pointing. When a young child is eating finger food in the high chair, this is a good time to read a whole book aloud, introducing and reinforcing the beginning-to-end sequence.

Preschoolers

• Illustrated hardcovers and paperbacks.
• Wide variety of books – Mother Goose, poetry, ABC, stories, traditional tales, informational books.
• Bold illustrations, not overly detailed. Messy or abstract art is not appropriate.
• Reading aloud to preschool children is relationship based. The books need to be kept on a low shelf, accessible to children so they can also hold and read the books on their own.

Kindergarten

• Hardcovers and paperbacks.
• Fiction, poetry, traditional tales, fantasy, historical fiction, biography, nonfiction, series.
• Anything in good taste is appropriate. Kindergarten children need freedom to choose books on their own without judgment from the teacher.
• The listening vocabulary at this age is much larger than the reading vocabulary so it is important to continually read aloud good, more complex books.

Selecting good books is one of the best ways to nurture young children. Reading aloud shows affection, caring and a desire to connect and have fun. It is a teacher’s chance to be completely present and attuned to each child. Selecting books mindfully gives the message that only the best will do, emphasizing the dignity of childhood.
The Basic Library from The Book Vine contains essential books for every centre.

Big Red Barn

Brown

Blueberries for Sal

McCloskey

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?

Martin

Caps for Sale

Slobodkina

The Carrot Seed

Krauss

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

Martin

Corduroy

Freeman

Curious George

Rey

Freight Train

Crews

The Gingerbread Boy

Galdone

Goodnight Moon

Brown

Harold and the Purple Crayon

Johnson

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

Numeroff

Make Way for Ducklings

McCloskey

Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel

Burton

Millions of Cats

Gag

More More More, Said the Baby

Williams

My Very First Mother Goose

Opie

The Runaway Bunny

Brown

The Snowy Day

Keats

The Story of Ferdinand

Leaf

Ten, Nine, Eight

Bang

The Three Billy Goats Gruff

Galdone

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Carle

Where the Wild Things Are

Sendak

Printed with permission ©2005 The Book Vine. A version of this article previously appeared in Scholastic Parent and Child Magazine.

Children’s books quite literally come in all shapes and sizes, as well as all tones of voice, types of plots, and levels of vocabulary. The questions of what makes one book more important, popular, or simply better than another is widely debated—but here are three characteristics that many good children’s books possess.

1. An Interesting, Relatable Story

The story in a good children’s book will be engaging and captivating. Whether it is a realistic story about a family pet or a surreal story about a castle on Mars, some aspect of the story or character will usually be relatable to children. Even on Mars, the protagonist could be a child or could be a slimy monster who learns about sharing. When children can relate to a story, they can connect with it deeply and remember it more clearly. In You’re Only Young Twice: Children’s Literature and Film, Professor Tim Morris says that, “a book that children will like typically has a central character who is a believable child, and shows that child confronting the world with energy and imagination.” Books that skillfully take on universally relatable topics such as fear, love, and adventure tend to stay relevant. As Education.com tells us, “books stand the test of time because their authors write about topics that matter.”

2. Engaging Language

A good children’s book will typically have interesting language. The rhythm of the language will be pleasing and the words in the story will flow naturally from page to page. Rhyming is a popular and powerful way to involve children in developing active listening skills and phonemic awareness when they are being read to and early phonics skills when they are learning to read. The vocabulary in the book should be relatable but somewhat challenging at times to the age group of readers it is intended for. Learning a few new words from a book makes reading it a more valuable learning experience. If the student audience is bilingual, as is increasingly the case in the U.S., it is ideal for the book to be bilingual as well.

3. Multicultural

Many good children’s books are inclusive and informative about the many cultures of our world. They may include diverse characters, stories, songs and traditions from around the globe, or even be written in a bilingual format. Children’s books that honor various cultures can affirm students’ identities, teach them about their fellow classmates and community members, and begin to increase understanding between cultures at an early age.

A good children’s book also draws children into the story, asks them questions, and lends itself to discussion. A good children’s book is one that children genuinely enjoy while they are gaining some understanding of the world. The Children’s Book Council says that, “it is essential that they enjoy their reading experiences so that they will nurture those skills for the rest of their lives.” You will know a child has found a good book that resonates with them when they want to hear or read it more than once, and when they remember the story and even re-tell it to you. High quality children’s books teach children to think and wonder about their world and about themselves.

Lectura Books has won numerous awards for our bilingual children books. If your interested in taking a look at our large selection of books click here.

Three Traits of a Good Children’s Book