Babies and Toddlers to age 3:

• Choose books with simple brightly colored pictures of familiar objects.
• Look for simple text with good rhythm.
• Wordless books can stimulate the imagination.
• Pre-School and Kindergarten
  (ages 3-5)
• Mother Goose, Nursery stories and fairy tales.
• Books with familiar situations.
• Pictures are still very important to this age group. Look for pictures with more details that follow along well with the story.

Early School Years (ages 5-8):

• Select picture books with strong stories and character development.
• When the child starts to read independently, choose a book with a straightforward story employing words that will be familiar from everyday use.
• New readers like books called easy readers. Look for some with real stories not just lots of word repetition.
• By third grade a child can handle stories of some complexity: the vocabulary should be relatively familiar while including some challenging words.
• Try informational books for children. They are great for teaching your child about a subject that interests them.

Older Children (ages 9-12 and older):

• Consider who the child is, his or her personality traits and personal preferences.
• Make your selection with the child in mind; choose a book in an area of specific interest.
• This age group is reading independently very well and can be allowed to choose their own reading materials.

Help! My Kid Hates to Read!

• Give the reluctant reader a break, let them read comic books, computer games with reading, let them look up and read internet sites that interest them, the funnies from the newspaper, joke books or turn the volume off of the TV and let them read the closed captions!
• Reward reading with fun activity.
• Read one page to your child then let them read one to you.
• Join a book group with your child and discuss what you read together.
• Help your child find characters or situations in books that they can relate to.
• Read yourself. Did you know the #1 factor that determines whether a child will read for pleasure is if they see a parent reading for pleasure.(Dad's have a bigger influence than Mom's!) So get reading Dad!

Choosing Books for Children: A Commonsense Guide by Betsy Hearne

Best Books for Children Pre-School Through Grade 6 by John T. Gillespie