“I never deliberately learnt to read … it was something that just came to me. I could not remember when the lines above Atticus’s moving finger separated into words, but I had stared at them all the evenings in my memory, listening to him read aloud the news of the day, Bills to be Enacted into Laws, the diaries of Lorenzo Dow – anything my father happened to be holding when I crawled into his lap every night. I never loved to read. One does not love breathing.”
So concludes Scout, the six-year-old narrator of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, about honing her ability and interest in reading from her matter-of-fact father. It’s a state of being many a parent will aspire to, if not downright envy. After all, when it comes to developing an affinity to reading – a habit linked to language skills, academic performance and even building empathy – it’s best to catch them young.
While the list below does not stray into the territory of legalese or evangelism, I found it helped my young daughter not only develop a love of the written word, but also sparked her imagination and aided her own increasingly confident read-it-yourself endeavours.
Here are five books I’ve read out loud to my nearly-six-year-old over the years, to much success.
1. Charlotte’s Web by EB White
There were tears when Charlotte the spider died, but also unparalleled joy when Wilbur the pig was not butchered, disdain for the gluttonous rat Templeton and the stirrings of a healthy sense of humour each time the goose made an appearance. Charlotte’s Web (1952), written by Elwyn Brooks White and illustrated by Garth Williams, employs the life-on-a-farm trope to draw important parallels to friendship, sacrifice and acceptance.
Tip: Get your child to enact the scene when the farmhand dumps a pail of water over the grown-ups at the country fair. It’s a riot.
2. The Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton
The three-book series, illustrated by myriad artists, is magical no matter your (child’s) age. Its setting alone is enough to spark the imagination and keep children coming back for more – from talking animals in the Enchanted Forest, to the various “lands” that appear in the cloud on top of a magical tree. Then there are the characters, from Silky the delicate fairy and Moon Face the fierce friend, to the hilariously deaf Saucepan Man and the rude, but good-hearted, Angry Pixie.
Tip: Ask your child which land is their favourite and why, and get them to draw it out to frame. The Land of Birthday Parties and Dame Snap-A-Lot’s School for Naughty Elves tied for first place in our home.
3. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by CS Lewis
Two words: Turkish delight. The conflicting emotions this one chapter elicits is worth the rather convoluted (for a five-year-old) plotline. The sweet sounds delicious, appealing to a child’s primal sense of coveting rarely permissible sugared treats. Yet, the evil White Queen bestowing it is a poignant reminder of stranger danger. And the grubby little boy devouring it is not a likable character, something even young children are able to pick up on reassuringly easily.
Tip: Ask questions galore after reading out the chapter, allowing children to draw their own deductions, with a gentle moral prompt or two here and there.
4. This Pretty Planet by Tom Chapin and John Forster
Based on the eponymous song by Tom Chapin, a Grammy-winning children’s musician and advocate for the arts in education, this lyrical book is part-story, part-song and comes with stunning pictures by illustrator Lee White. Touching upon respect for Mother Nature, the ills of pollution and the importance of protecting the Earth (You’re a Garden / You’re a Harbour / You’re a Holy Place), the lyrical words will have children singing along even if they don’t know the exact tune of This Pretty Planet by Chapin and Grammy-nominee John Forster.
Tip: Get budding musicians to practise their skills using the sheet music notes printed on to the front and back folds.
5. The Princess and the Pit Stop by Tom Angleberger and Dan Santat
Girl power meets horsepower in this title. A princess who is into motorsports and does not need rescuing is a heady combination for boys and girls alike. New York Times-bestselling author Tom Angleberger and Caldecott Medal-winner Dan Santat also throw in a bunch of fellow racers, characters from every familiar fairy tale and poem, to punchy effect.
Tip: Test if children remember the plotlines of other stories and rhymes, by connecting the words: think “She spun out Rumpelstiltskin and butted in front of the Three Billy Goats Gruff”, and “The Gingerbread Man admitted: She can catch me!”.
