Reading

0-1 Years

• Hug by Jez Alborough
• Crashing and Splashing by Alison Lester
• Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell
• Mesmerised by Katey Love
• Go Baby Go!  by Sally Rippin
• Gossie & Gertie by Olivier Dunrea
• Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes by Mem Fox
• That’s Not My … books by Fiona Watt and Rachel Wells
• Baby Gets Dressed by Katrina Germein
• Clap Hands by Helen Oxenbury

2-3 Years

• Maisy books by Lucy Cousins
• Froggy Green by Anna Walker
• Boom Bah by Phil Cummings
• Where is the Green Sheep? by Mem Fox
• The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
• Not a Box by Antoinette Portis
• The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister
• We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen & Helen Oxenbury
• Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae
• Spot books by Eric Hill

4-5 Years

• The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson
• Pete the Sheep by Jackie French
• Hairy Maclary books by Lynley Dodd
• Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
• The Terrible Plop by Ursula Duborsarsky
• Stuck by Oliver Jeffers
• It’s A Book by Lane Smith
• Imagine by Alison Lester
• Olivia the Pig by Ian Falconer
• Some Dogs Do by Jez Alborough

6-8 Years

• Fox and Fine Feathers by Narelle Oliver
• Diary of a Wombat by Jackie French
• Rascal the Dragon by Paul Jennings
• Green Eggs and Ham by Dr Seuss
• Nobody Owns the Moon by Tohby Riddle
• The Legend of the Golden Snail by Graeme Base
• Wombat Stew by Marcia Vaughan
• The Cat on the Mat is Flat by Andy Griffiths & Terry Denton
• Are we there yet? by Alison Lester
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

As parents it is up to us to support our children’s reading.

1. Read aloud every day
   10 minutes of reading aloud every day makes an important difference to your child’s language and literacy development.
   
2. Make reading fun
   Read stories with enthusiasm! Change voices for different characters and alter the volume of your voice to build excitement.
   
3. Talk, play and tell stories to your children
   Tell your child stories every day about your day, their family and interesting or exciting things you’ve seen or done. Reading, storytelling, talking and play helps your child listen and develop social and language skills.
   
4. Read anywhere
   Read in a variety of places to your child. Read outdoors – in the park, at the beach and on the bus. Just like adults, children enjoy reading in different contexts and at different times of the day.
   
5. Read books and more …
   Storybooks and picture books stimulate imaginations and foster a love of literature. You can also read recipes, newspapers, brochures, maps and other texts to support your child’s literacy in all aspects of their life.
   
6. Listen to and praise your child reading aloud
   Listen to your child read. Consistent reading aloud improves children’s reading and confidence. Wait patiently and let your child work out more difficult words. Praise them for their efforts and and their successes.
   
7. Ask Questions
   Encourage your child to ask questions about what they are reading before, during and after reading. Ask them to tell you what might happen next, why something stated is important, and discuss their feelings about events and opinions in the texts.
   
8. Discuss the language in the texts
   Move your finger under the words from left to right as your reading. Encourage your child to do the same when they are reading. Stop now and again and discuss a particular word. Ask what it means and what other words are like it.
   
9. Don’t forget the pictures!
   Focus on, celebrate and explore the visuals that go along with the text. These can be illustrations, maps, photographs or graphics and often help your child understand the book or text being read.
   
10. Be seen reading!
    Model reading to your child. Let them see you reading for entertainment and information. Ask them to join in when reading the newspaper, measuring something from a recipe, or viewing a text message.