By Kena Bailey, youth librarian at the Fayetteville Public Library

It’s never too early to start reading to your child. Reading to your child early and often helps your child develop essential pre-literacy skills and also fosters a lifetime love of reading.

Make reading time fun for you and your child by choosing books that you both will enjoy. Bob Shea’s Dinosaur vs Bedtime and Sandra Boynton’s Greatest Hits are sure to please adults and kids alike.

Dinosaur vs Bedtime by Bob Shea will make a welcome addition to any home library. In Shea’s picture book, a little red dinosaur faces everyday challenges, including a pile of leaves, a bowl of spaghetti, and even talking grown-ups—“Blah! Blah! Blah!”

The sparse and predictive text will have children joining in as every challenge is met with a “Roar!  Roar! Roar!” Each of the dinosaur’s encounters end in success as “Dinoasaur wins!” until he faces his “biggest challenge”—bedtime.

The little dinosaur puts up quite the struggle, but inevitably succumbs to sleep, “Snore, snore, snore.” Shea’s simple and bold mixed media illustrations with a retro feel will appeal to children and adults alike. This book is also available as a board book.

Sandra Boynton’s books have long been considered a must have for any toddler book collection. Her whimsical illustrations and silly, often rhyming, text are a big hit with both children and adults.Favorites of Boynton’s classic books come together in this collection of Sandra Boynton’s Greatest Hits Volumes I and II.

Sandra Boynton’s Greatest Hits: Volume I includes Blue Hat, Green Hat; A to Z; Moo, Baa, La La La!; and Doggies.

Blue Hat, Green Hat serves as both a color primer and a getting dressed how-to. Each spread depicts various anthropomorphized animals wearing the same article of clothing in different colors, with the last animal, a turkey, always wearing the article of clothing incorrectly. The text next to each animal describes the color and type of clothing; red shirt, blue shirt, etc., with the mis-dressed turkey labeled “oops.”

A to Z is a simple ABC book enhanced by Boynton’s charm. Each letter is accompanied by an illustration and alliterative text of an animal doing an action. Such as, “dinosaur dancing” and “moose mowing.”

Moo, Baa, La La La! Starts out as a simple animal sounds primer, “A cow says moo”, until you get to the page where “Three singing pigs say La La La!”  The reader is quickly informed “that isn’t right.  Pigs say oink all day and night.” What follows is a rhyming romp as readers are introduced to different animals and their sounds. Mostly depicting farm animals, Boynton also throws in dogs, cats, and even a rhino for good measure.

Doggies is a counting primer based on counting, you guessed it, dogs. Each number is accompanied by the appropriate amount of dogs, all making a different doggie sound ranging from “woof” to “…nnn…nnn…nnn…” Kids will enjoy joining in on the doggie ruckus.

Boynton’s Greatest Hits: Volume II includes The Going to Bed Book; Horns to Toes; Opposites; and But Not the Hippopotamus. In the Going to Bed Book, various animals on a boat go through their nightly routine as they prepare for bed. Except for the exercise time just before bed (and after bath time), kids will be familiar with the nighttime schedule. Boynton’s simple, rhyming text make this book a fun read.

Horns to Toes uses pastel pink and blue monsters to show different body parts and their respective functions. In addition to learning parts of the body, rhyming text also guide children through patting their bellies and tickling with their ten fingers, making this a great movement book.

Boynton’s book Opposites depicts opposites ranging from the standard short and tall to the more rare right and wrong. As usual Boynton’s cute and quirky illustrations help to make this a great book.

In But Not the Hippopotamus, readers see a lonesome hippo in the background of various scenes as other animals enjoy an activity. But, don’t worry, the book closes with a happy ending when the hippo is invited by the other animals to join in on the fun. Rhyming and repetitive text will no doubt appeal to children and have them chiming in with, “But not the hippopotamus.”

Even the youngest child can participate in the Fayetteville Public Library’s Summer Reading Club! CLICK HERE to sign up for the club which is for children, teens and adults. CLICK HERE to see a full listing of all the FPL awesome events and activities planned for this summer!

Kena Bailey has worked at the Fayetteville Public Library for eleven years and is currently pursuing her MLIS at Florida State University. She leads storytime for babies 0-24 months and develops four juvenile collections—Toddler, Award Winner, Music, and Parenting.