Every year, International Children’s Book Day is recognized on April 2. According to the International Board on Books for Young People, Children’s Book Day was founded in 1967 to inspire reading and highlight the importance of children’s literature.
For preschool teacher Katy Warren of Milledgeville, children’s books are more than just stories — they are essential tools for learning and connection. In this Q&A, Warren shares her insights on the importance of reading, how she celebrates International Children’s Book Day in the classroom and her favorite books. From interactive storytelling to fostering a lifelong love of reading, Warren, a teacher at St. Stephens Day School offers a glimpse into the joy and impact of children’s literature.
Q. How do you encourage a love of reading in young children?
A. I try to choose books to read to them by knowing what topics they enjoy or things that they’re interested in because if you read a book that’s just boring to them, they’re not going to engage.
So, I try to learn what they like, what kind of subjects they’re interested in or characters that they’re interested in. I pull some of those ideas and find books that are centered around that.
That really engages them in a story. If they’re not engaged in the story, if it’s not something they like, it’s not fun.
Q. Do you have any recommendations for parents on how to make reading a fun daily habit at home?
A. I love to do it personally with my own children at bedtime, it’s just part of their bedtime routine to settle down and I choose, or I might let them pick a book, or I might choose a book that I know they might enjoy. For example, my little boy loves trucks, so we’re hearing stories about trucks right now and then, as they get a little bit older, work up to like, small chapter books, like Charlotte’s Web and read a chapter at night.
They get engaged for the next day because they want to know what’s next for the next night. So, it makes it fun because they want to continue the story.
Q. Have you seen any positive long-term effects in children who are regularly read to at a young age?
A. They develop a stronger vocabulary because they’re hearing those vocabulary words at a younger age, and just through that they develop a love of reading because it’s just become part of the routine and the comfort for them.
Q. What role do illustrations and interactive elements play in capturing preschoolers’ attention during storytime?
A. Illustrations give children something to look at. When you’re little and you can’t read the words, the pictures give them something to look at. Children can look at a picture, and as they’re looking at it, even if they’re not able to read, they can make up their own story. They like to look at the picture and go, “Oh, so and so is doing this,” and they kind of make up their own story.
Other elements you can bring into a story to make it interactive are things such as puppets or felt boards. It engages them in an active way. They can get up and help act it out, or put the pieces up. And they love doing that. All of a sudden it becomes more of a game instead of, “ Yeah, I have to sit down and listen.”
Q. If you could pick one must-read book for preschoolers, what would it be and why?
A. I have to go with Horton Hears A Who!, just because it’s such a good life lesson on standing up for what is right. No matter what size you are, you can stand up for what you believe in. I think it illustrates that everyone’s important.
Q. Are there any books that always get the best reactions from your students?
A. The students love There is a Monster at the End of this Book. It’s so fun because it is interactive and it asks questions.
And you know, the character doesn’t want you to turn the page, but they’re all chanting to turn the page, and it’s just hilarious. The fact that they can yell out is so fun, too.
Q. What was your favorite children’s book growing up?
A. Katy, and the Big Snow. I loved it because my name was Katy, and it’s spelled the same way, and that’s rare. It’s about this big, red, beautiful crawler tractor, and she plows out a whole town and saves the city. I just love the fact that it was a tractor named after me, even though the book is older than I am. I have such good memories of sitting at my grandmother’s house, and she had this old copy of the collection of fairy tales.
And I would sit there every day and go through every one of those stories.
I still have it. I’ve passed it down to my kids, so that’s a treasure for me.