Celebrating International Children’s Book Day
Preschool Pals is obsessed with storybooks, and this includes our children, whom we've been reading to since they were babies. The transformative power of picture books goes beyond helping kids learn to read. Picture books encourage children to dream and visualize different experiences and worlds. They nurture and promote children’s imagination while teaching them about life. Often, when our children struggle—as many young children do—we read a picture book to help them learn how to deal with big feelings, friendships, and growing up. We’ve also used stories to help our kids understand and become aware of more abstract concepts, such as sharing, cooperation, and being part of a group.
So, in honor of International Children’s Book Day, we’re delighted to share a little bit about some of our children’s favorite stories in case you want to pick them up on your next trip to the library: Radio Man by Arthur Dorros, Stick and Stone by Beth Ferry, Secretos de la Selva Tropical by Carron Brown, and The Gingerbread Man by Saviour Pirotta.
In addition to being impactful and colorful for early readers, these books also share a few common traits. For instance, the books explore themes of friendship or connection. Radio Man is about a man who connects to his community through the radio, while Secretos de la Selva Tropical explores the connection between animals and their precious environment. The books also present fun, engaging narratives that attract young children. Stick and Stone is an accessible, touching story showing how two characters come together in times of need, while The Gingerbread Man is an adaptation of a classic featuring an unlikely protagonist who entertains through repetition and suspense.
These stories offer important lessons that we hope to instill in our children. In Radio Man, we are left reflecting on the value of communication and contributing to our community, while Secretos de la Selva Tropical prompts us to reflect on the sacred interconnectedness of the natural world. The picture books are also highly interactive, with their vibrant illustrations—Secretos de la Selva can even be read with a flashlight, revealing hidden creatures within the forest illustrations! And, sometimes when we have extra popsicle sticks lying around and some extra time, we get crafty and make the stories more interactive by creating simple stick puppets. (We did this for The Gingerbread Man—and this is now one of our kids’ absolute favorite stories!)
There are many, many more books our children love, and it’s such a treasure to read with them and explore different worlds, concepts, and situations, both common and unique. We hope you get a chance to read a book or two with your children on this year’s International Children’s Book Day (and in the days, weeks, months, and years to come!).
Happy reading!
