5 Things to Keep In Mind When Buying Storybooks For Preschoolers

Getting the right storybooks for preschoolers is important to ensure they have a meaningful reading experience. Know how to choose the best.

Storybooks form an important part of childhood. A good storybook read during childhood is remembered years later, even after the child has grown up. As your child enters the preschool stage, you will surely be on the lookout for storybooks to get her. Here are some factors to keep in mind while buying storybooks for your child:

1. Understand your child's interests: Have you identified any particular theme or concept that he finds interesting? For instance, your child may be fascinated by space travel. Or, he could be specially interested in mythological characters. Getting books that revolve around what children like the most will make their reading experience more enjoyable.

2. Consider the values to be introduced: How would you like your child's early education to be? Would you like to focus on starting with storybooks that are heavy on moral values? Or would you also want the books to have a lot of fun elements so that she develops a sense of humour? You can base your choice around such aspects.

3. Look for great illustrations: Children are drawn towards visual cues. So, a good book for this age category should have attractive and well thought-out illustrations. It should contain more of visual elements than text. Children will understand and remember the stories better when they look at the illustrations. Illustrations stimulate the imagination and also help develop cognitive skills. The more creative the book, the better it is for the child. Books with pop-ups and stickers are a good option, too.

4. Check for easy-to-read language: By this time, your child may have already learnt to read words and short sentences, but may not be able to process long ones. So, choose books that have appropriate sentence structures and vocabulary that will be easily understood by preschoolers. Rhyming texts are recommended for children as they are likely to grasp and remember the words better.

5. Ensure content is age-appropriate: You need to make sure that the books are fit to be read by young children. Do not get books that subtly propagate unhealthy stereotypes or talk about adult issues. Also, screen out books that have aggressive and disturbing content.

With these pointers in mind, visit bookstores and fairs where children's books are on display and do a recce. Online research will also give you an idea of the kind of books that are out there. Combine this knowledge with the factors mentioned, and you will be able to arrive at a well-considered decision about the books you should buy for your preschooler. So, go ahead and give your child a reading experience that she will cherish.

Looking for fun ways to keep your preschooler engaged at home during the pandemic? Check out Little Learners at Home, a home learning programme specifically designed for 3 to 5 year olds by our team of experts.

What are the elements of a great book? In this post, we will explain the seven critical elements of a great book.

What are the elements of a great book?

I used to do a lot of manuscript appraisals when I taught creative writing. I would never have been able to do it without teaching, though, because teaching taught me how to become a critical reader. I learned to observe, to critique, and to improve my own writing.

Appraising a writer’s unpublished manuscript can be difficult, but it became easier when I broke it down into what readers and publishers look for when they read. The key to making it easier was thinking about the market. What are the elements of a great book? What works? What sells and what doesn’t? Why doesn’t it sell?

I broke down a story into seven elements that allowed me to see if it was working, and, if not, I used these elements to give advice.

The 7 Critical Elements Of A Great Book

My appraisals were based on the basic elements of good novel writing, which are:

1. Plot

[Use our Setting Up The Setting Workbook to create great settings for your stories.]

2. Characters

[Use our Character Creation Kit to create great characters for your stories.]

3. Viewpoint

1. Has the writer chosen a viewpoint that suits the story? Most stories are written in third person

   Most stories are written in third person past tense . For example, ‘He cradled the baby as Freda screamed.’ Most genre novels are written in this viewpoint. Memoirs are often written in first person present tense to make the writing feel authentic and immediate. For example, ‘I cradle the baby as Freda screams.’ [Read 10 Ways To Tell A Story – All About Viewpoint

2. Has the author chosen the correct character to tell the story? This happens mostly when we choose to tell the story through the eyes of the protagonist’s friend or confidant. This often makes the story sound forced because the friend cannot know what the character is truly feeling or thinking. It distances the most important character from the reader and there is more telling than showing as a result.

   This happens mostly when we choose to tell the story through the eyes of the protagonist’s friend orThis often makes the story sound forced because the friend cannot know what the character is truly feeling or thinking. It distances the most important character from the reader and there is more telling than showing as a result.

3. Has the author stayed in the viewpoint character’s head? Many beginner writers head-hop between the different characters in a scene, and confuse readers. As a rule, you should only use one viewpoint per scene. [Read

   Many beginner writers head-hop between the different characters in a scene, and confuse readers. As a rule, you should only use one viewpoint per scene. [Read 6 Simple Ways To Handle Viewpoint Changes

4. Has the character revealed something he or she could not have known? There has to be consistency and a sense of continuity in storytelling.

5. If the author chooses a first person narrator, is the character strong enough to bear the weight of a 360-page book? This might seem like common sense, but it’s a tough ask for one character who has to be interesting enough not to bore a reader. The character could be compromised, which is fine if you are considering using an

   This might seem like common sense, but it’s a tough ask for one character who has to be interesting enough not to bore a reader. The character could be compromised, which is fine if you are considering using an unreliable narrator

6. Has the author chosen an omniscient narrator? This is so old-fashioned that it takes a truly exceptional writer to make this work. Modern readers prefer to be closer to the characters they are following in stories.

4. Dialogue 

1. Is there enough dialogue in the book? I believe the book should have at least 50% of its pages filled with characters communicating. Being stuck in a character’s thought processes is agonising for long periods of time. Many beginner writers make this mistake, thinking that we will be intrigued. But it actually turns out to be the author who is stuck, trying to work through the fact that he or she does not really have a plot.

2. Is the dialogue appropriate for the characters? Are you giving the characters the correct vocabulary and

   Are you giving the characters the correct vocabulary and tone ? Do their words suit them? [Read 10 Dialogue Errors To Avoid At All Costs

3. Do the characters sound too similar? This is a common problem for beginners. They use sentence structures and lengths that are the same for each character. Real people have distinct voices when they speak.

4. Does the dialogue serve a purpose? Writers who include unnecessary conversations also have problems with plotting. All the dialogue in a book should move the plot forward, introduce conflict, or show us something about a character. [Read

   Writers who include unnecessary conversations also have problems with plotting. All the dialogue in a book should move the plot forward, introduce conflict, or show us something about a character. [Read 10 Ways to Introduce Conflict in Dialogue

5. Have they included body language with dialogue? Real people do things while they’re talking. Here are some examples:

   Real people do things while they’re talking. Here are some examples: 60 Things For Your Characters To Do When They Talk Or Think Including body language is one of the most important elements of a great book.

6. Are the dialogue tags good? ‘Said’ is the best tag you can use. The way characters say things and the words they choose should tell the reader how they say it. I am annoyed when characters hiss, spit, cajole, ejaculate and sputter. 

[TOP TIP: Learn to write better dialogue with The Dialogue Workbook]

5. Pacing

1. Does the pace suit the story?  Books are made up of

   Books are made up of scenes and sequels . Scenes are faster than sequels and there are more of them. They are also longer. A good writer knows how to mix these up and how to get a rhythm that works for a story.

2. Does the pace suit the genre? Thrillers will have more scenes. Literary novels are more leisurely and they will have more sequels.

   Thrillers will have more scenes. Literary novels are more leisurely and they will have more sequels.

3. Is it too fast or too slow, and if it is, can it be fixed? Read

   Read The 4 Most Important Things To Remember About Pacing for excellent tips on how to improve problems with pacing.

6. Style

1. Does the writer have a distinctive, engaging style? You can tell if a writer has this even if their grammar and spelling isn’t perfect. [Read

   You can tell if a writer has this even if their grammar and spelling isn’t perfect. [Read 7 Choices That Affect A Writer’s Style

2. Can the writer write? Sometimes there are real problems with sentence structure,

   Sometimes there are real problems with sentence structure, punctuation , and a poor grasp of storytelling techniques.

3. Is there too much passive voice in the story? This leads to telling instead of showing and drags a story down with it. [Read

   This leads to telling instead of showing and drags a story down with it. [Read The Passive Voice Explained

4. Is the tone appropriate for the story? A sombre

   A sombre tone is inappropriate for a light-hearted romance and a flippant tone is unusual in literary fiction.

5. Are the readability statistics acceptable for a novel? I work on the assumption that a good book will have an 80% readability value. Novelists need to learn how to write difficult things in the simplest way. [For more, read

   I work on the assumption that a good book will have an 80% readability value. Novelists need to learn how to write difficult things in the simplest way. [For more, read Why Readability Statistics Matter

6. Does the writer have an engaging voice? The best way to find your voice and nurture your style is to write. If you are struggling, read this post for help:

   The best way to find your voice and nurture your style is to write. If you are struggling, read this post for help: How do you find your writing voice?

7. Beginnings, Middles, Endings

[Use our 6 Sub-Plots Workbook to create great middles for your stories.]

In the end… 

If these elements of a great book are covered, and if they work, I find that a book delivers. The author naturally shows me the story instead of telling me what I should think or feel. I also find that a theme is revealed naturally with great plotting and good characterisation.

If you want to critique a book, you can ask these questions and make notes. At the end you will have a better idea of why you did or did not enjoy it.

Happy reading and writing!

TIP: If you want help with your elements of fiction, buy The Novel Writing Exercises Workbook.

 by Amanda Patterson

© Amanda Patterson

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