Your Home Daycare
Part Three: The Book Center
By Lisa Henderson, B.S. Child Development

As a childcare provider, you have the opportunity to greatly impact the development of young children through literacy. By providing a variety of quality books and a cozy spot for children to read, you can help children learn to love to read. In this article, you will find suggestions on setting up a book center, as well as a list of recommended books for children.

Your book center should be in a quiet part of your home daycare. Place it AWAY from noisy, active areas like the block center or dramatic play center. It is recommended that you use a forward-facing book display unit (I built one for less than $50 in materials), rather than a bookcase. Pre-readers choose books because of the cover on a book, and only the spine of a book in a regular bookcase may not entice the child to pick up the book.

Your book center should be cozy, but not crowded or cramped. Place large soft pillows or beanbag chairs on the floor so the center has a comfy atmosphere. A carpet or throw rug helps to create this "soft" feeling also. Use calming colors in your book center - blues, greens, and violets. Make certain your book center is very well-lighted, perhaps by a window to supplement artificial light with natural light. The size of your book center should be no larger than the space for two 5 year olds. You can also purchase a poster or two, depicting a story or promoting reading.

There are thousands of quality books for children. Your book center should contain about five books per child in your care. Do not display too many at one time, or the center will overwhelm and overstimulate. Too few books will make your center look boring to a child. Create an enticing area by providing a wide variety of books. Rotate the books in your center on a weekly or bi-weekly basis, to keep children's interests high. Expose children to different types of books: picture storybooks, board books, nursery rhyme books, ABC books, counting books, poetry books, interactive books (i.e. Pat the Bunny), wordless books, easy reader books, predictable books, concept books, and informational books.

Let me stress that in NO way should a book center replace the time that an adult should spend reading aloud to children. Research shows that children who are read to consistently become earlier readers and avid readers. A love of reading is instilled by example. Many providers have a "teacher-only" set of books, which is a collection kept out of reach of children to avoid wear and tear on favorites. The books are read aloud on a regular basis, often pertaining to that week's theme. Big books (large-sized) are fun to read as a group, so you might chose a few for your home daycare library.

This list of quality books is compiled from many sources: online lists, library lists, and professional childcare providers. It is by no means an exclusive list; there are many more good books available.
Abuela by Dorros
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
by Viorst
Andy and the Lion by Daugherty
Blueberries for Sal by McCloskey
Bread and Jam for Frances by Hoban
Brown Bear, Brown Bear by Martin, Jr.
Caps for Sale by Slobodkina
The Carrot Seed by Krauss
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Martin, Jr.
Corduroy by Freeman
Curious George by Rey
Freight Train by Crews
George and Martha by Marshall
Goodnight Moon by Brown
Happy Birthday, Moon by Asch
Harold and the Purple Crayon by Johnston
Harry the Dirty Dog by Zion
Henny Penny by Galone
Horton Hatches the Egg by Seuss
If you Give a Mouse a Cookie by Numeroff
Leo the Late Bloomer by Kraus
Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile by Waber
Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Burton
Miss Nelson is Missing by Allard
Mouse Paint by Walsh
Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me by Carle
The Polar Express by Van Allsburg
The Snowy Day by EJ Keats
Stone Soup by Brown
Swimmy by Lionni
There's a Nightmare in my Closet by Mayer
Tikki Tikki Tembo by Mosel
The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Scieszka
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Carle
When I Was Young in the Mountains by Rylant
Where the Wild Things Are by Sendak

In addition, almost anything by these authors is recommended: Tomie de Paola, Eric Carle, Donald Crews, Ezra Jack Keats, Mercer Mayer, Aliki, Marcia Brown and Maurice Sendak.

As you plan your book center and choose the books, keep in mind that variety is important. You don't need to go out and buy a hundred books at one time, rather, pick up a few at a time. You can contact book clubs, such as Scholastic and Troll, and earn free books when you and your daycare families purchase books. Often you can find good books at used bookstores, garage sales, and second-hand stores for as low as $.25 each! Above all, read through a book before you buy it. Make sure it's something the children will enjoy. Have fun and happy reading!