Reading has been an important part of our daily routine with both Henry and Nora since they were born. Lately, both of them will sit and read (or be read to) for long stretches of time.
Instead of one reading nook, we have several reading areas throughout our home. In our living room, we have a large basket with books from both age groups. They each also have their own small shelf in our play area. Nora's room has a basket of books and Henry's an entire bookshelf.
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Once our new playroom is finished, they will have a larger reading area, with a child-friendly bookshelf.
The books we pick for each child for these areas, obviously, vary quite a bit since they are in such different places developmentally.
Nora
At 14-months-old, we are looking for simple realistic books. We want something based in realty with clear consise language. We avoid fairy tales, talking animals and cartoons when pictures are available.
Some current favorites -- One Little Lamb; Hush, Little Horsie; Look at Me! On the Farm; Smile!; Tom and Pippo's Day
This doesn't mean we completely avoid illustrations, but if real pictures are an option we lean toward that choice. The illustrations we do choose, however, are as lifelike and beautiful as possible.
Hush, Little Horsie, for example, is her ultimate favorite right now. It's illustrated but you would hardly know it!
Henry
Henry, unlike Nora has a much wider range of books. We still try to avoid a lot of fantasy, but allow some. Star Wars {a love of his} is an obvious one. But, Henry is also right at the cusp of reading, and many early readers include themes {talking animals, character based} that might otherwise not be Montessori friendly.
Current favorites -- Star Wars: The Story of Darth Vader; Amazing You; The Seven Continents; The Hippopotamus; The Book with No Pictures; Bob Books
Long story short, Henry has a mix of fiction and non-fiction, fantasy and reality. We follow his interests to cultivate a love for reading. But, we still prefer his books be as real as possible.
What are your children's favorite books? I'm linking up with How We Montessori to share our shelves today!
