Read with Me

February 1, 2013

Zvirin has selected and annotated more than 300 books for adults to enjoy with preschoolers. She made her choices by talking to librarians as they compiled their lists of "best books" as well as by using blogs and listservs. She purposely does not suggest well-known classics such as Goodnight Moon in order to draw attention to titles published in the last decade. Her organizational plan is centered around common themes, running the gamut from books about "ME" to families, friendships, and make-believe. The annotations are thoughtful, yet casual and chatty, pointing out the reasons why children would enjoy a particular title. While Jim Trelease has long been recognized for his choices in his Read-Aloud Handbook (Peter Smith Pub., 2006), he covered a much wider age range and included many chapters with information about literacy and fostering the love of reading. Update a professional collection with Zvirin's book or hand it to new parents as a guide to their child's early listening and reading adventures.-Blair Christolon, Prince William Public Library System, Manassas, VA

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2012
From ALA's new trade imprint, Huron Street Press, Read with Me is a practical introduction for parents and adult caregivers to books for preschoolers. Zvirin, a former Books for Youth editor for Booklist, has assembled this expert and invaluable collection. Nine sections, including First Reads, Families, Friendships, and The Natural World, contain richly annotated lists of recommended titles published during the last 10 years. Each entry includes bibliographic information and a recommended age range. The books have been selected from various best books lists, reviews, and librarian recommendations. A final section includes a brief list of titles recommended for beginning readers to read alone. In addition to the lists, Zvirin writes about the importance of reading aloud to preschoolers in developing a foundation for language development and offers a list of 17 quick tips for book sharing. An appendix includes recommended resourcesboth print and onlinefor those interested in securing further information and guidance. Though principally designed for adult caregivers, the book will also be valuable to librarians for collection development and for offering their own recommendations to parents.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)