Choose books your child likes
No matter how “good” a book is, if your child is not interested in it or excited by it, then reading it together won’t be enjoyable. When it’s not enjoyable, your child won’t be interested in talking about it. Try letting your child browse the shelves on his own or try giving him a few options to choose from. See which books he picks on his own and join him in looking at those.
Choose books with simple pictures and simple text
More words and more pictures are not always better. Simpler text and pictures often encourage more conversation because there are less distractions.
Choose books that tell a story
Books that tell a story, even a simple one, provide many different things to talk about. Simple stories that emphasize characters’ actions within a familiar activity such as bath time, playtime, or bedtime, are great conversation starters.
Choose books with actions in the pictures
Action-packed pictures give you things to talk about beyond just labeling the pictures. If nothing is happening in the pictures, the only thing to talk about is the names of the objects. If there are children playing outside or dinosaurs cooking food, then you and your child will have much more to talk about.
Consider “touch and feel” books
These books have a variety of textures on the pages which provide many opportunities to describe them. Ideally, the book would include several textures such as soft, rough, squishy, or furry
Consider wordless picture books
Books without words encourage children to come up with the words themselves. These books have action-packed pictures that will give you and your child lots to talk about.
