We curl up and relax with them and pour over them for hours. They can make us laugh, cry, empathise with others and question our own views. Books are an integral part of 'grown-up' culture and they should also be an essential part of a young child's world.
Children should have access to different types of book (fiction, non-fiction, poetry and rhymes) with varying illustrative styles and formats (pop-up books, flap books, board books and big books). Some may be more suitable for use with adult support, others can be made permanently available to children in a given setting.
There is a wealth of good children's literature on the market and a browse around a well-stocked bookshop is always a good idea before parting with any money. Bookshop staff are often well informed about new publications and may be able to direct you to good children's stories.
Starting points
Good stories offer rich opportunities for learning across all six areas of the curriculum - not just communication, language and literacy - and provide excellent starting points for young children to develop their ideas and follow their interests.
To illustrate this point, we have chosen to base this edition of Nursery Topics on four books by popular children's author Mick Inkpen: The Blue Balloon, The Great Pet Sale, Billy's Beetle and Threadbear (see offers on pages 6-7).
Mick Inkpen
Mick Inkpen's books are favourites among young children and adults alike.
His work has been recognised through awards, but the greatest accolade must be the delight on young children's faces as they settle down to enjoy more of their favourite character's antics.
He shows sensitivity to the needs and anxieties of young children in his stories and an understanding of what captures their imagination. He uses simple but familiar experiences as starting points to which children will relate, and brings humour into the text and illustrations.
It is the combination of these qualities that makes his books so powerful in fostering an early love of literature and an exciting focus for children's cross-curricular learning.
Presentation
To foster a love of books in children, it is crucial that books on offer to them are accessible, attractively presented and in good condition. A torn or dirty book will not engage children and should be replaced. Favourite books in particular may have a limited lifespan in a busy setting, and money should be set aside to update your collection regularly.
Home links
For books to be truly part of a child's world, they need to be enjoyed at home as well as in the setting. It is important, therefore, that practitioners advise parents and carers on the sharing of books with their children (see 'Cover to cover', page 17).
Children will usually have favourite books at home and may like to bring these to the setting to share with other children at storytime.
It is a good idea to introduce a lending system in the setting so that children are able to take home books from the setting. Books might be borrowed for a period of a few days or a week at a time and the 'library'
could be run by volunteer parents.
Story sacks which include a book and appropriate props are an exciting way of presenting stories to children and could be lent out to families on a similar basis (see 'Sack it to 'em', page 18).
Early phonics
Advising parents about children's books will invariably involve broaching the subject of early phonics, an area that is often misunderstood and can result in an inappropriate emphasis being placed on the formal learning of letter sounds before a child is ready.
Our explanation of learning in this area, and suggestions for practical activities, aims to clarify misconceptions and support practitioners in talking to parents about early phonics (see 'To the letter', page 20).
Jane Drake is a partnership advisory teacher in Leeds and author of Organising Play in the Early Years (David Fulton Publishers, 15)