Here is a simple guide to the kinds of books most suitable for children at different ages.
INFANTS (6-12 months)
- Board books with photos of babies
- Sturdy, brightly-colored board books
- Books with pictures of things they see every day – balls, bottles, chairs, dogs
- Small books sized for small hands
YOUNGER TODDLERS (12-24 months)
- Sturdy board books they can handle and carry
- Books that show children doing familiar things – sleeping, eating, playing
- Goodnight books for bedtime
- Books about saying goodbye and hello
- Books with only a few words on the page
- Books with simple rhymes or predictable text
OLDER TODDLERS (24-36 months)
- Books with pictures and names of many different things
- Books with board pages – but also books with paper pages
- Silly books and funny books
- Books with rhyme and rhythm, and repeated text they can learn by heart
- Books about children and families
- Books about food, animals, trucks, and other favorite objects
PRESCHOOLERS (3-5 years)
- Books that tell stories
- Books about kids who look like and live like them – and also books about different places and different ways of living
- Books about going to school or daycare
- Books about making friends
- Books with simple text they can memorize
- Counting books, alphabet books, search and find books
Source: Reach Out and Read http://www.reachoutandread.org/