Children’s books comprise a wide array of subjects, and vastly range in depth. Books can be devoted to certain age ranges, such as between two and four or eight and twelve. Some literature that is designed to be read by older children may also find an audience with adults, like the Harry Potter novels. Each type of children’s book has a purpose, besides generating an income for the author, of course.
Nearly all children’s literature is written about children, or at least people who have not yet reached adulthood. The only exceptions to this are books in which animals are the primary protagonists, although even in those stories humans may play a part. Often the child goes on an adventure, or learns an important life lesson, which is especially prevalent in books for younger children.
On the youngest scale, books from authors like Dr. Seuss come to mind. These stories employ the use of illustrations on a grand scale, as well as the frequent use of rhyme to keep the child’s attention and focus. The child is usually too young to read the book themselves, and a grown-up or older sibling will read the book to them. There is usually a moral to the story, as with the Dr. Seuss classic Green Eggs and Ham, in which the lesson is to try new things. A child who has hundreds of different books read to them will probably hear valuable life lessons multiple times, although they may be too young to fully comprehend them at the moment, the values are subtly inserted in to their subconscious.
For slightly older children, there will still be illustrations, but fewer than with their previously mentioned counterparts, as now the focus begins to shift somewhat more towards the textual content. A moral is still a central part of the story, and fables fit this category. The level of vocabulary is at a very low level so that a child is able to read the book without any difficulty. It is important for children s books to be incredibly easy reads, as if the reader finds the story uninteresting, disengaging, or incomprehensible, they could be thrown off reading for life, or at least a long time.
At the next level are books designed for children in elementary school. Stories of this nature are intended to build the reader’s vocabulary and reading comprehension skills, and may not contain any illustrations at all. Adults rarely read these books to their children, as this is the point where children begin to read completely on their own, only pausing to perhaps ask someone older what a specific word means.
Books written for students in the fifth to eighth grade start to take on a more serious tone. Sometimes even deal with serious issues like drug and alcohol abuse, as this is the time when kids begin learning about subjects of that type. Teenagers and even adults may take some pleasure in reading novels at this level, although most sophisticated readers avoid any material targeted at kids.
Studies have shown that there are numerous benefits to childhood reading. Children who are read to from an early age on have been shown to have a deeper interest in books and school later in life. Being that the world has become so competitive, it is important for everyone to get as good a head start as possible.
If you need baby gift ideas childrens books can be a great educational gift.
Article Source: It's Never To Early To Teach Your Child To Read