Find books that fit their age, patience and stage.

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Which stage are you buying for?

Pick the age band that sounds most like the child. The next page shows what is inside before you decide whether to buy.

• Babies and toddlers · 0–3

  The First Shelf

  Fifty board books and first picture books, sorted by how they hold up to being chewed, dropped, and demanded four times a night.

  Best fitBuilding a first shelf from nothing, or buying for someone who is.

  Skip ifA child already sitting through a story with a plot. Start at The Picture Book Years.

  • Fifty books, each with a note on how it actually reads aloud
  • Which board books survive a chewer, and which fall apart by month three

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• Early readers · 4–7

  The Picture Book Years

  The best years for picture books, and the first ones they read back to you. Fifty titles, with the illustrator named on every one.

  Best fitThe richest age for picture books, and the easiest to waste money on.

  Skip ifA confident reader finishing novels alone. Go to Books They Finish Alone.

  • Fifty books, from read-aloud picture books to first solo readers
  • The canon, and which parts of it have dated badly

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• Independent readers · 8–11

  Books They Finish Alone

  Novels, non-fiction and graphic novels for the years reading turns private. Fifty books, with a line on what each one asks of a reader.

  Best fitThe stall after a first series ends and nothing else looks appealing.

  Skip ifA reader still building stamina on short books. The Picture Book Years comes first.

  • Fifty books, with a line on what each one asks of a reader
  • Series worth starting, and where each one runs out of road

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