I’m going to be be very specific about which picture books I am referring to. Books for 0-5 year olds used for read aloud story time. This is the type of activity I lead mostly as a librarian, and not just any book will work. I can talk about reading to older kids, and books that families check out at a later time.

The 0-5 age group has not yet been in school, and so have not  learned to stay in their seats and pay attention. This is fine, I don’t expect this from them. As the facilitator, story time is about theatrics, quick transitions, and varying the activities – a good mix of songs, movement, games, and (since it is a library) books.

Because of this, the books I choose are very specific. If you want your book to be selected for this type of activity, this Is what I’m looking for:

1. Length – Short. We have all heard over and over to keep our manuscripts short. The first thing I look at is length.  500 words? Too long. I’m looking for books 250 and shorter.
2. Themes – I often will have a theme for my story time. That theme can be anything from, weather, colors, specific animals, kindness, to first day of school, etc. If your book fits into one or more categories, it could be chosen.
3. Interactive – Books that talk to the kids directly or ask for physical interaction are great. They do half of the work for me.
4. Art – I like the art to be colorful, bold, and simple. With 75 kids in a room, art that is complicated or needs to be explored takes too much time to share.
5. Funny – Always wins.
6. Diversity – The kids I’m reading to are of diverse backgrounds, so I like to share books in which everyone can see themselves on the pages.
7. Nonfiction – I am happy to (in fact, I want to) share nonfiction as long as it fulfills most of my other needs.
8. Lessons – My purpose is not usually to teach lessons, but if a book does highlight a topic such as kindness, sharing, problem solving, or being unique, it’s a nice bonus.
9. Endings – A must. If a book fizzles at the end, then I have to work that much harder to get them excited about the next activity. Ending with a surprise or a joke keeps the energy going.
10. Good writing – I save the most important for last. When a book has an arc, strong characters, wonderful words, a unique premise, and a powerful voice, kids notice and pay attention.

Not every book is written for this specific situation, and not every book should be. I rarely choose any of my personal favorite picture books for a group story time. There are different situations for different types of picture books, but if this is where you want your books seen, these are my suggestions.