What to Read When: The Books and Stories to Read to Your Child and All the Best Times to Read Them

This volume by Allyn, director of the literacy organization LitLife, reminds parents that through reading aloud they can “teach the beauty of language and joys of rhythm and rhyme” and introduce their offspring to the “Big Wide World.” Part one of this book—a combination of Jim Trelease’s Read-Aloud Handbook and Anita Silvey’s 100 Best Books for Children —offers 10 reasons why parents should read to their kids: to develop shared values, to fall in love with language, to build comprehension, among them. Useful, too, are Allyn’s Four Keys, revealed in an apt mnemonic, READ: a Ritual of coming together in an Environment conducive to reading with Access to the right book at the right time for a Dialogue. Chapter Four’s 14 landmark books, from Pat the Bunny to Harry Potter (with Margaret Wise Brown, Dr. Seuss and Maurice Sendak titles included) will resonate with parents, but the best feature may be a brief section called “How to Read Aloud,” which teaches parents exactly how and why to read to children in order to elicit interest, engagement and response. The bulk of the book is Part three, “all the best books for the moments that matter most,” an alphabetical listing of 50 themes, from adoption to “New Baby” to “Your Imagination.” (Apr.)