Celebrated on April 18, National Children’s Book Day invites us to reflect on the importance of reading from the first years of life. In a scenario marked by increased time spent in front of screens, attention is growing on the need to stimulate experiences that encourage learning, creativity and bonds with books from an early age.

Contact with reading is essential even before literacy, as human development reaches its maximum speed and power in early childhood — from 0 to 6 years of age. “Even without understanding words, the baby already benefits from contact with books. By observing images, handling the book and participating in shared reading, he develops fine motor skills and other aspects, such as identifying objects and building a relationship with the world around him”, says Juliana Tomasello, from the editorial team of Leiturinha, reading club and publisher.

But the impact of these early years is still underestimated. According to the research “Panorama of Early Childhood: What Brazil knows, lives and thinks about the first six years of life”, carried out by the Maria Cecilia Souto Vidigal Foundation in partnership with Datafolha, a large portion of Brazilians (84%) do not recognize the early years as decisive for the development human.

Every activity offered to children must be considered carefully, especially given the excessive use of screens. Thus, reading proves to be an effective strategy. “Books enable a richer vocabulary, better understanding of text, greater critical capacity, in addition to building empathy and autonomy, essential stimuli that screens cannot replace. Creating the habit of reading in childhood is, therefore, a long-term investment”, explains the expert.

With this in mind, Juliana Tomasello lists 5 books for the first step in a daily routine with interactive reading. Check it out!

1. Din Don! (0 – 3 Years)

The story “Janela, janelinha” takes on new contours here. The text by Sarah Helena with illustrations by Jéssyka Gomes, in rhymes, presents characters of classic tales in their routines, as a child would do: waking up, drinking coffee, playing and getting ready for bed — these are some of the actions carried out by Peter Pan, Little Mermaid, Little Red Riding Hood, Hansel and Gretel. At the end, a mirror hidden in the last flap also brings the child reader to participate in the story.

2. The baby is gone! (0 – 2 years)

In this interactive story written and illustrated by Daniel Kondo, children are invited to participate in a fun game of hide and seek. With the help of a sliding mechanism, it is possible to look for the baby in different corners of the house and garden, following his steps and discovering where he is hiding until the final encounter with a loving hug.

3. There on the Matapi River (0 – 3 years)

The book by Anna Claudia Ramos and Layla Ramos Campelo takes place on the banks of the Matapi River and follows a character called Binho in his daily life. THE history begins when the protagonist wakes up next to nature. After breakfast, he and other children go to play.

At lunch time, Binho eats his favorite dish: fish with açaí. Then he says goodbye to his sisters and, in the afternoon, he takes a shower, takes a nap and plays more. Binho’s sisters arrive from school and it’s time for dinner and bed. The story illustrated by Thai Rodrigues ends with the promise that everything starts again the next day.

4. Day out! (up to 1 year)

In the book written and illustrated by Amanda Bahia, follow a baby on her first adventure on the farm! With cutouts, flaps and textures to touch and feel, it invites babies to explore the world of fruits and vegetables, and different farm animals in a tactile and fun way.

5. Beca’s new invention (1 – 2 Years)

In the book written and illustrated by Rodrigo Cordeiro, Beca is a girl creative that turns ideas into solutions, using only materials that would otherwise be discarded. When her dog Cacau gets hurt, Beca decides to invent something special to help her get back to playing.

By Beatriz Bastos