Connections Academics STL Share Their Favorite Children's Books and Tips on How to Read to your Kids

Connections Academics STL Share Their Favorite Children's Books and Tips on How to Read to your Kids

Favorite Children’s Books: 

• I Will Never Not Ever Eat A Tomato 

• By Lauren Child

• We love this book that approaches the very real struggle that is picky eating. Follow along as Charlie is asked to give his little sister, Lola, some dinner. Her picky eating is no match for Charlie’s imagination and trickery. Soon, he has Lola eating carrots (orange twiglets from Jupiter), fish sticks (ocean nibbles from under the sea) and more! The only thing better than this playful story is the amazing illustration work.

• Roll, Roll Little Pea!

• By Cecile Bergame 

• This adorable tale follows a pea that’s rolled off the dinner table and can’t stop! The little pea is on the move through all sorts of settings and meets some friends along the way. With beautiful pictures and lots of fun sound words, this book will be quick to become a crowd favorite. 

• Sheep in a Jeep 

• By Nancy E. Shaw

• There’s nothing better than a great rhyme and this book rhymes with the best of them! Follow along as a group of sheep get in to all sorts of chaos around the farm. Little ones love the funny nature and cadence of this book, so be prepared to read it over and over again. 

• Hippos Go Beserk 

• By Sandra Boynton

• A true crowd favorite, Hippos Go Beserk, is an unlikely story of a whole lot of hippos throwing a party. The party guests get increasingly wild as the story goes on and readers love to practice their counting as the different hippos arrive.

• The Paletero Man 

• By Lucky Diaz 

• This story is vibrant in more ways than one. Through beautiful and colorful illustrations, this book tells the story of a young boy running through his neighborhood to find Paletero Jose, who passes out cool, tasty Paletas on hot summer days. Along the way, he runs into friends from his diverse community and showcases all the unique offerings his neighborhood holds. This book uses catchy rhyming phrases and is interspersed with Spanish words, as well! 

Tips for Reading to Your Child:

Not only is it never too early to start reading to your child, but it’s also one of the most important things you can do to encourage their development! Reading aloud helps pre-readers to build comprehension skills, develop critical thinking and encourages language and memory skills. Reading is beneficial for any little one, but it’s also just fun! Here are a few tips to make reading at home a great experience for the whole family: 

1. Experiment with Intonation: Practice using silly voices and changes in pitch. Babies and toddlers especially are drawn to differing sounds and 

2. Read facing your child: Part of the reading experience comes from your child being able to see your facial expressions and mouth as you form different words. Face the book and yourself towards them, as if you’re having your own little story time performance. 

3. Let your child touch and feel the book: Depending on age, you can let your child feel the book in front of them, help turn the pages or even hold the book as you read. This develops print concepts and offers children a sensory learning experience, in addition to their reading experience. 

4. Read slowly: Your child is working on taking in verbal words, visual pictures and lots of sensory inputs all at once. Reading the story slowly allows them to understand the story and practice focus! 

Favorite Children’s Authors:

Check out some of our favorite children’s book authors. You can’t go wrong with any of the books or series written by these authors!

1. Adam Rubin (Dragons Love Tacos, School’s First Day of School)

2. Todd Parr (Reading Makes You Feel Good, Be Who You Are)

3. Sandra Boynton (Snuggle Puppy, Click, Clack, Moo)

4. Mo Willems (Piggie & Elephant Series, Pigeon Series) 

5. Anna Dewdney (Llama Llama Series) 

Connections Academics is a local tutoring company that hires licensed teachers to provide in-person, private tutoring. We strive to Empower students and families with customized academic support, unlocking their full potential as lifelong learners. We partner with parents and teachers to provide convenient and customized support that enables students to thrive in varying academic settings. You can find our private tutoring teams and Little Book Club literacy classes locally in St. Louis, Chicago and Cincinnati!