Learning To Choose A Library Book

Choosing a book to check out from the library is a daunting task for a 5 year old.  Everywhere they look there are books and the children don’t know where to begin their search.  I encourage the children to limit their search to one shelf which allows for plenty of choices.  As the children become more familiar with the library they learn to widen their search on more shelves, but until then, one shelf is enough.  When you take your child to your local public library, encourage your child to choose books that look interesting to him/her.  Of course, parents may also choose some books to read to your child,  but your child does need to learn to make a decision, and then be comfortable with his/her choice.  When a class of children go to the school library you can always tell the children who have had the opportunity of going to the local library to choose books.  They are familiar with the routine and enjoy the search to find just the right book. The next time that you take your child to the library, allow him/her to find some books and try to reserve your opinion of whether or not your child will like the book.  Choosing the ‘just right’ book is a learning process that for many of us takes a very long time.