Guide to Books for 0-5 Year-Olds (2nd Edition)

Abstract

A boy of six years recently took a holiday with his family. In his luggage were lots of toys for the journey but just two books. As it turned out, only one book was needed. Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes, was requested and read eight times each day.This particularly engaging book was read cover to cover, back to front, and on occasion, favourite pages were chosen and read over and over. Frequently, reading had to be suspended for lengthy periods of time as the six year old and the adult collapsed in fits of giggles at previously unseen details on certain pages.Towards the end of the two-week holiday, the six year old picked up the book and read large sections of the text to himself, from memory using intonation and pausing for effect.This is the mark of a great book, it continues to surprise, delight and engage its reader, long after the pages have been creased and stuck together with blobs of jam, drops of milk and pieces of melted chocolate.