There is no doubt that reading aloud to kids has tangible, permanent benefits. Research from Head Start has confirmed that infants pick up on language much earlier than adults realize and that books are a great catalyst for interactions with older children.
The quantity of words matters for language development and the reading voice (sing-song for the young ones) can help direct and focus attention.
This time of year, when families are gathering, provides a great opportunity to read to kids. Picture this: you and a child, sitting close together with a book. You may be in pajamas. You may have a cherished blanket or stuffy or cup of hot cocoa.
All you need now is that book, and we’re here to to provide some very giftable ideas. These are our favorites from childhood. And we’d love to hear from you if you give one of these books to a child in your life for some quality reading time together.
Behold our first List of Giftable Books for Reading to Kids. May it bring you much joy.
Megan Jones, Digital Editor
“My Very Own Special Particular Private and Personal Cat”
I still have a copy of this book, and my mom does, too. When I say it was beloved, I mean it was read to me and I read it until the edges frayed and the pages fell out. I love the yellow, orange and black graphic illustrations by Remy Charlip (a famed dancer and choreographer) and I love how the boy learns about boundaries from his personal, private cat: “I am the me of mine of mine. Oh I am the the mine of me. Oh I am the cat of cat of cat and you remember that.”
Nina Cardona, Senior Host
“Shoes” books: “Ballet Shoes,” “Dancing Shoes,” “Skating Shoes,” and “Movie Shoes”
These British chapter books were already dated by the time I discovered them, but in the most lovely way. The stories are all independent of each other, but every time, the main characters are children who discover a performing art through an unconventional introduction and falls deeply into that art form’s world, with all the quirks, challenges, joys and pitfalls that they have to offer. I would recommend starting where I did, with the story of the Fossil sisters in “Ballet Shoes.”
Justin Barney, Music Reporter
“Wooden Teeth & Jelly Beans: The Tupperman Files”
Around third grade, and probably because of this book, I became obsessed with the U.S. presidents. As a sports kid, the presidents made sense. There were only so many of them, they came from different states, they had different interests. This book files through the presidents like the back of a baseball card, showing important stats and key achievements. But, it’s also funny. It shows the information I cared about when I was a kid like, the fact that Ronald Reagan’s favorite food was jelly beans or that Gerald Ford was offered a try out on the Green Bay Packers.
Cynthia Abrams, Metro Reporter
“Children Just Like Me”
At around age four, I was obsessed with trying “blini,” traditional Russian pancakes. Why? This book. In partnership with UNICEF, a photographer and teacher traveled the world documenting the lives of children. Each page is a different kid, with glimpses of their day-to-day — pictures and a blurb about their, school, their home, their favorite meal, hobbies. As a kid, I studied each page religiously — I can still recall Rachel from France’s outfit or Monika from Hungary’s flute playing — and credit this book with fostering my curiosity about the world, and the humans in it (I quite literally wrote my college application essay about it).
Liv Lombardi, This is Nashville Technical Director
“The Boxcar Children”
When I was young, my mother read to my twin sister and I before bed most nights and this series was a favorite from my bedtime story memories. I loved how the language transported me to a daring and uncertain world of survival and mystery. I identified with, or longed for the bravery of the characters and, of course, always found comfort in the soothing nature of my mother’s voice creating a new world though the words on the page.
Kyle Bradley, Account Manager
“Ant and Bee Go Shopping”
I remember what I loved the most about the book was its small size. It felt made for me and not an adult. I didn’t make the connection at the time, but being taken into the tiny world of two insects going shopping called for a tiny sized book. I’ve always had a love for list making and searching for things. This book delivered in spades. I strive to be organized and focused, the Bee in me, but man did I identify with Ant. “Oh, look on this endcap, of course I need Selena Oreos”, Ant says.” “But they’re not on the list,” Bee whispers as I make my way to self-checkout, writing down Oreos, just so I could cross them off the list.
Catherine Sweeney, Health Reporter
“The Very Hungry Caterpillar”
I was obsessed with this book as a kid — and I mean a little kid, before I could read. Every time I went to the library, I would find it just to flip through the pages and see all the colors. There are sections where the pages are staggered in length, and I thought they were so fun to play with. Looking back, I think it introduced me to the idea that books could make me happy and excited.
Blake Farmer, This Is Nashville Host
“Goodnight Moon”
This book felt like a warm blanket and a hug from mom when I was little and the feeling hasn’t faded. My kids know that if I’m picking out the book before bed, I will always pick this one. It’s so simple, so odd, and so soothing. I can practically put myself to sleep just thinking about “a comb and a brush and a bowl full of mush and a quiet old lady whispering hush.”
Tony Gonzalez, News Director
“City Moon”
This picture book has proven equally satisfying for me as a parent and for my child — a rare and magical sweet spot when it comes to books that are going to be read many times over. The premise is simple: a mother and child go for a nighttime walk through a big city and notice the world around them, including the moon as it “moves” and hides behind the skyscrapers. It stokes wonderment about the world around us in a way that is meditative within an urban setting.
“Wild About Books”
Bonus points if you and your entire family can memorize this rhyming gem. If you get as hooked as my family, you will, and rhyming in sync with your preschooler will become a lifelong memory. “Wild About Books” is the tale of a librarian who creates a library within a zoo and how each animal becomes obsessed with a particular genre. The otters read Harry Potter. And of course the llamas read dramas!
Deborah Kehoe, Sponsorship
“The Hobbit”
Not your typical children’s book, but my family were and are fans of fantasy novels. My mom read this book to me when I was little reading a chapter every night until it was done. It’s one of my favorite memories and launched my love for fantasy and sci-fi novels.
Ray Curenton-Dillinger, Membership Coordinator
“Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus”
My mother read this book with me in my early years as a reader, and before I knew it, I had finished my very first chapter book (which made me feel quite distinguished!). It’s not hard to see why: Junie B. was the first character in a book who made me laugh out loud, uncontrollably and repeatedly. Discovering that I could experience so much joy just from picking up a book has drawn me to reading, and to spunky characters like Junie B., ever since.
Jesse Strauss, Director of Institutional Giving
“Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator”
I tend to go deep instead of wide. As a kid, this meant getting lost in the wonderful, nonsensical worlds spun up by Roald Dahl. I think I read them all. Dahl is the spinner of snozzcumbers and frobscottle, oompa loompas and everlasting gobstoppers, building-sized peaches inhabited by kid-sized insects, and antagonists like Gizzardgulper, Fleshlumpeater, and the shapeshifting Vermicious Knids. “Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator” — that’s Charlie Bucket of Willie Wonka fame — picks up where the chocolate factory left off: in a magical elevator that can fly through space and is large enough to fit Mr. Wonka, the entire Bucket family, and their enormous bed.
Paige Pfleger, Senior Criminal Justice Reporter
“Stellaluna”
I have a lifelong obsession with bats, which stemmed from a childhood love of “Stellaluna.” That obsession was only deepened last winter when a little brown bat fell down my chimney and I nursed it back to health. After about 5 days of sleeping in a little cooler, my little bat took off, and I imagined it rejoined its family — just like Stellaluna.
Emily Siner, NashVillager contributor
“One Boy Watching”
I have two criteria for assessing children’s books: Does my toddler request it regularly, and do I enjoy it enough to read it by myself? This beautifully simple picture book checks both boxes. Perfect for the little kid who’s obsessed with yellow school busses, and the crayon-drawn illustrations are so evocative that I’ve picked up the book sans child just to examine them.
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