Classic Picture Books Recommendation I for Ages 3-4

1st September 2020

The Chinese saying goes: There is a hidden house of treasures in books. As a mother, I strongly believe in the importance of cultivating reading habits from an early age. The explosive period for language acquisition is from ages 3-4 and accumulating vast vocabulary will greatly accelerate children’s language ability. When my child was going through the phase of“Horrible 3”, my realization is that reading plenty is useful yet it requires continuous input. With sufficient accumulation comes the child’s output. So how do you choose interesting and educational picture books from the sea of excellent picture books? We recommend the following classic English picture books, suitable for children ages 3-4. Let’s enjoy parent-child reading time with our children!

1. Llama Llama Red Pajama

Llama Llama Red Pajama is the first picture book from the Llama Llama series, written by best-selling children’s author, illustrator and mother, Anna Dewdney. The story talks about Llama Llama’s difficulty going to sleep after Mama Llama reads a bed-time story and gives him a good night kiss. After a series of attention-seeking shenanigans, Llama Llama is reassured and satisfied, enveloped in Mama Llama’s love and comfort. When our children have the same mischievous or moody behaviours as Llama Llama, what should mom and dad do? Perhaps we can learn a thing or two from Mama Llama.

This is a wonderful rhyming tale for parents to read to children before bedtime. “Llama llama red Pajama reads a story with his mama”, and “Mama Llama hears the phone Baby Llama starts to moan…” The catchy rhymes can spark children’s interest in poetry and allow them to learn vocabulary in a fun and easy way.

This picture book is a great source of inspiration on how to handle parent-child relationships. When our children call out for attention, we can respond to their needs with a loving reply “Mom is here” or a warm hug and kiss, especially when they are seeking a sense of security. Other popular titles include Llama Llama library and Llama Llama Misses Mama, which are extremely helpful in educating young children on life, social and emotional skills. Llama Llama is well-loved by children of all ages, because they often see themselves in him!

2. David goes to the school

David Shannon is author of many highly praised books for children, including No, David! and David gets in trouble, and winner of the Caldecott Honor. In this book David goes to school, adorable and energetic David learns to respect and follow classroom rules and get along with other children. The story encourages children to learn from mistakes in a humorous way that’s bound to bring a smile to your face. Through bright and colourful illustrations, David’s adventure encourages children of the exciting kindergarten life and making new friends. A cheery and well-worth tale that my child and I read over and over!

We can all relate David to someone we know or have in our classroom. Energetic monkeys like David often leave adults troubled. Aside from punishing them, this story shows the alternative of forgiveness, understanding and love. Instead of grooming all troublemakers into obedient children, we can find ways to allow each child to blossom at their own pace.

Do you like the picture books recommended above? Let’s begin learning English with picture books! Parents can choose picture books based on their personal situation and needs. These picture books can expand a child’s English vocabulary, and teach them valuable lessons on friendship, family and understanding their emotions. The familiar scenarios in the books can acts as a great conversation stirrer for reflections, and far more effective than one-way lecturing or blaming. With love and compassion coming from their parents, surely the children will grow up and pay their compassion and empathy forward.

To learn more about English enhancement and language education, please check with our education consultancy team.

Photo Credit:
https://m.sohu.com/a/141569876_498152/?pvid=000115_3w_a
https://www.sohu.com/a/304678844_391390
https://www.sohu.com/a/226731212_162834