It’s that time of the year! Yes, Book Week 2022 is upon us. A time to dress our little ones up in characters from their favourite and timeless children's books.
Reading forms such a huge part of the curriculum at childcare, as it’s the foundation for learning in children.
For Book Week 2022, we've listed ten timeless children's books for preschoolers that are read over and over again at childcare centres around the country. Plus we've included some wonderful reviews of each of the books from some tough critics - young children!
1. The Gruffalo - Julia Donaldson
‘There is a mouse and so many animals want to eat him, so he pretends that he’s really tough and that he is mates with a bad guy so that they’ll be too scared to eat him. There’s lots of nice rhyming too.’
James - 4 years old.
2. The Gruffalo’s Child - Julia Donaldson
‘In this one, the Gruffalo tells the baby Gruffalo that the mouse is really scary. The snake and the owl and the fox are in it too. And it’s snowing! I love it.’
Molly - 3 years old.
3. Room On The Broom - Julia Donaldson
‘The witch is nice and lets everyone get on her broom, like the dog and the frog and a bird. There is a scary dragon but it’s OK because all the animals scare him away and save the witch!’
Ollie, 4 years old.
4. Possum Magic - Mem Fox
‘I love this book because it has a beautiful baby possum and she eats lots of yummy things, like pavlova, Vegemite sandwiches and lamingtons. Her Grandma is magic. I wish my Grandma was magic.’
Evie, 5 years old.
5. The Wonky Donkey - Craig Smith
‘This book has lots of funny tongue twisters about a donkey that is stinky and cranky and wonky. When we read this book at my school the teacher sings it and we all laugh and laugh. He’s a honky tonky winky wonky donkey!’
Tilly, 5 years old.
6. I Am The Music Man - Debra Potter
‘I like this book because it has holes in the page so you can peek through and see who is playing the instruments. There are more and more holes on each page. My mum always sings it instead of reading it.’
Lincoln, 5 years old.
7. Where The Wild Things Are - Maurice Sendak
‘We have my mum’s book of this that she read when she was little. It’s a bit worn out! I like it because there are massive monsters and Max becomes their king. They are sad when he leaves but he is so hungry he has to go home.’
Bianca, 5 years old.
8. Wombat Stew - Marcia Vaughan
‘This is a book about a wombat that gets caught and the fox wants to eat him. But his friends trick the silly old fox by putting lots of things in his pot that taste disgusting!’
Jack, 4 years old.
9. Whoever You Are - Mem Fox
‘This book is nice because it talks about all the different people in the world, and how even though we are all different we are also the same in lots of different ways.’
Maddison, 5 years old.
10. Green Eggs and Ham - Dr Seuss
‘I like this book because the guy doesn’t think he likes green eggs and ham but Sam keeps asking him to try it with a mouse or on a train. In the end he says fine, I will try it, and then he really likes it!’
Felicity, 4 years old.
At Care For Kids, we loved these timeless children’s books as kids, and we hope this can provide some inspiration for books at home or to donate to your childcare facility. There’s no better time of year than Book Week to grab your favourite childhood memories and incorporate them into your own kids' lives.
