A lot of fun can be had reading picture books with this age group: as the adult reader, give yourself permission to be silly.
The child will love it, and will see books as a positive at an early age
Chat about the pictures, as well as the words, and give the child time to respond, even before they can properly talk
- Use a favourite cuddly toy to act out part of the book
- Keep a book in the child’s bag for entertainment when you’re out of the house. Get it out on the bus, or in a café – anywhere you have to wait!
Reading tips on the BookTrust website
Monthly Inspiration from BookTrust on what to read for this age group:
We Are Dragons
by John Condon, illustrated by Patrick Corrigan
This charming picture book with a fun, bouncy rhyme to read out loud references a number of well-known fairy tales – Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk and Hansel and Gretel, which means either that young listeners will recognise those elements and be able to talk about them with the adult reading, or will be introduced to fairy tale concepts that they’ll later encounter in other stories. This provides little ones with a beginning in literacy and understanding popular story forms.
