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Hang on to your hats and coffee mugs, folks! You are entering a hub center with hyperlinks galore and impassioned information dumping from your fellow children’s book nerd.
That’s right! I am taking on the oddly-complicated-but-seems-like-it-should-be-simple task of recommending a good children’s book. There are so many genres, topics, and areas to explore that define the ambiguously coined “good” book. Poetry, realistic fiction, wordless, nonfiction, concept. . .ok I’ll stop now. So, be prepared to adventure to other websites, hubs, and resources. But trust me -- you’ll be in good hands. So, where should we begin? I really should have thought this through before excitedly writing this introduction. Let’s start with the basics. 
What is needed on your checklist for all high-quality children’s literature? My first thought goes to developmentally appropriate text and illustrations. But hold the phone! Let me be crystal clear. When I say “developmentally appropriate practice,” I automatically integrate authentic stories, histories, and narratives from BlPOC, LGBTQIA+, gender non-conforming or non-binary, disabled, and other marginalized communities. Because children are ready to talk about race, gender, sexuality and family structures, ability, and equity. Are we on the same page now? Wonderful. Let’s proceed.
There are endless factors that build the foundation of a “good” book, so I’ll let the experts do the talking. Explore the following resources (and lovely checklists) to get started! Anti-Defamation League: Assessing Children’s Literature Reading Rockets: How to Choose a Children’s Book (Across Birth-9 Years) NAEYC children’s book hub UMD Library: Recommendations for Using and Building a Children’s Book Collection (You can download a free PDF of these recommendations on the Future Teacher Shop) Trust your expertise in child development, but check yourself and your collection on whether it meets the developmental needs and present levels of your children. Most likely, you have a wide range of reading levels. For example, my third-grade classroom spanned from pre-readers to chapter book lovers. Now then, let’s move on to the genres, shall we? Table of Contents:
I’ll be honest. Poetry was not my favorite branch of literature in school. I still find it confusing and hard to appreciate sometimes. However, I celebrate what poetry brings into children’s lives and classrooms.
Poetry offers rhythm, movement, play with language, exploration, imagination, and creativity within the literature. With poetry, young children explore figurative language, rhyming, writing structures, word use, and storytelling. Poetry invites children into books and new worlds – providing engagement that traditional prose may not. There’s even more to love about poetry! This genre of literature diversifies students’ learning and practicing of different reading skills. But since I am still researching the benefits of poetry in my own time, please explore the links below. (You may notice Reading Rockets is a frequent guest – they are a resource for almost anything early literacy.) Little Fun Club: Tips for Reading Poetry with Your Child Reading Rockets: Using Poetry to Teach Reading Reading Rockets: Top 10 Resources on Poetry 
Do you want to know what one of my favorite (it’s impossible to choose) things about literature is? Its natural power and ability to integrate other subjects into a good story! Test it out!
Math? Missing Numbers: A Number Mystery. Biography? Biblioburro: A True Story from Columbia. Science? The Elephant. See what I mean? When selecting a high-quality informational book, Reading Rockets recommends you visit an imaginary children’s museum. On this fictional (and hopefully free) field trip, you observe and assess the following criteria of informational books: cover, topic, illustrations, organization, and font size and type. Oof dah! That’s quite a lot of things to consider. If you are interested in visiting this museum (they’re open 24/7!), click here! Take a look through these comprehensive resources and search tools for informational texts: Diverse Book Finder: Informational Texts Checklist for Informational Books You could even get more specific! (speaking of which. . .) Search by specific topic? I see you, creative teachers! Are you crafting the next best unit study? Are you taking on the impossible task of stocking shelves with all of your students’ (let’s call it) “curious” interests? First of all, applause to you. Second, check out the hyperlinks below for some first steps: Diverse Book Finder Search Tool (a wonderful tool for diversifying your storylines within a given topic or unit study) Reading Rockets Book Finder (search by age, author, illustrator, topic name, and more!) Children’s Book Council Search Tool Cooperative Children’s Book Center Search Tool Cooperative Children’s Book Center Booklists 
If you ever want a fun twist on a read-aloud, add some wordless books to your collection! I adore wordless books because, usually, they are a burst of imagination, illustrative brilliance, art, and wonder. They are a testament to the author’s storytelling style and talent. And finally, they are an open book (yeah yeah, haha) to lesson possibilities!
One approach to reading a wordless book? Challenge yourself and your students to silently read the book and “picture walk.” Simply flip through the pages, pausing to scan the class and show the illustrations. Introduce silent signals for students to communicate their observations, wonderings, or curiosity. After flipping through the book, pose some discussion questions and encourage students to share their thoughts while reading! For more tips and tricks in choosing and using wordless books, click on the links below! Happily Ever After Elephants: The Essential Guide to Wordless Picture Books Sharing Wordless Picture Books Colorín Colorado: Wordless Picture Book List (Tips for English Language Learners included!) 
Realistic, folklore, traditional, oh my! The world of fiction spans history, geography, and cultures. Sometimes, children learn more about the real world through reading stories from people’s heads.
When looking for a “good” fiction book –especially folklore and fables– don’t limit yourself to stories that you are familiar with! Fables and folktales are an engaging way to learn about other cultures and communities’ history, traditions, and values. “Good” literature must not be synonymous only with comfort, popularity, and whitewashed narratives. Dive into the following articles, book lists, and resources to enhance your critique of fiction books and diversify your perception of a “good” story. Reading Rockets: Why folk and fairy tales? Diverse Book Finder: Folklore Books Colorín Colorado: Folk Tales, Fables, and Fairy Tales Education Week: Reading Fiction Whole Reading Rockets: Teaching Fiction (Common Core/Evidence-Based) Reading Literary Fiction Improves Theory of Mind “I live in two worlds; one is a world of books.” Rory Gilmore perfectly summarizes the endowment of fiction books. When reading fiction books, children travel to made-up worlds in a magic tree house, talk to animals, and view the real world through previously impossible perspectives. So, the question shifts from, “What am I going to read next?” to “Where (and maybe when) am I going to go?”. 
The truth is: children’s books are EXPENSIVE! Building my own children’s book collection is a daunting task. The search for high-quality, developmentally appropriate, diverse texts is a struggle for sure.
As teachers with a minimal school budget, we take what we can get. Take it from someone whose Christmas list always features at least five children’s books. But there are a few sources where we can buy books for affordable prices! Half Price Books ($1-10) and Thrift Books ($2-10) are two dependable options. Click the links below to shop! Half Price Books Thrift Books (Garage sales, used book stores, and library book sales are other generic options.) As an emerging educator, I am still searching for ways to buy children’s books for cheap prices! So, I call on you, education enthusiasts, to share your tips, recommendations, and sources for building a collection that won’t leave a hole in my wallet. Light up the comment section! Woohoo! You made it through the end of the hub! I hope you didn’t get lost in the sea of hyperlinks; although I’d encourage the occasional rabbit hole.
All of this information is overwhelming, I know. The rich, diverse, and expansive universe of children’s literature is nearly impossible to take in at once. Therefore, feel free to revisit this hub with a specific genre or topic in mind. Anything from dogs to pickles to the water cycle to Stonewall – this hub will steer you in the right direction. There are so many good books to discover, read, and share with children. They’re just a click or visit away. Good luck! See you later. Previous post
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AuthorMeghan Hesterman (she/her) is an aspiring educator, storyteller, and traveler. Through regular posts and commentary, she candidly reflects on her evolution as an educator and young adult. Categories
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