Guide for teachers and parents through maze of kids' books

As the saying goes, the gift of reading is a gift for life. But with thousands of new books published every year, it can be difficult for parents and teachers to know where to start. Books like Little Red Riding Hood and The Elves and Shoemaker are still popular but many more new titles are jockeying for shelf space, often with very little information on their suitability for different age groups.

Because of this, Easons, the booksellers, have published a new Guide to Children's Books to help parents navigate the choppy waters of pre-school, pre-teen and teenage reading.

As editor Sarah Webb explains, "children's books are a vital part of any child's life, from babies and toddlers to teenagers. When a child learns to read, a whole world opens up before his or her eyes, a magical land of witches and ghosts, cats that can talk and cars that can fly."

The guide outlines hundreds of books suitable for all ages up to 11-plus. Even babes hell bent on destruction are catered for in the children's book market. Parents are advised to look out for books that will withstand wear and tear.

Board books with safe rounded edges, cloth books and plastic bath books, are ideal, says Webb. Titles like Buggy Buddies Board Books, by Emily Bolam, and published by Campbell Books, start at £2.99.

Toddlers from 18 months to three years, are, Webb says, "ready for `real' books at this stage. Excellent toddler books are available with sturdy card or thick paper pages. Most children become familiar with characters like Barney or the Teletubbies from television, and enjoy books about these characters. Children are also ready for longer stories with familiar settings - play school, the park, shopping or visiting a grandparent or friend."

Between the ages of three and five, your child is beginning to enjoy decoding words and print, on anything from cereal boxes to favourite picture books. A child may experience story time at the creche or school and will delight in lots of different types of tales, with longer and more complex plots.

Books suitable for reading aloud with children include My Naughty Little Sister by Dorothy Edwards, or the Sophie books by Dick King-Smith.

According to the Guide, parents should look for picture books with clearly printed, easy to read text - run your finger under the text as you read and the child will learn to associate the words with the meaning of the story. Children at this age love humour so try funny poetry or the picture books of Babette Cole, Colin McNaughton or Tony Ross. Also pop-up and novelty books are a good way to make reading fun.

One title parents and children alike will particularly appreciate is The Baby Who Wouldn't Go To Bed by Helen Cooper. Winner of the Kate Greenaway prize for illustration, this book tells of every parent's dilemma - the baby who won't go to bed. The child drives his Noddy-like little red car through a fantasy world of life-sized toys, until he finally feels sleepy. Hurrah!

By the time children are reaching the six to nine age group, they are by and large doing it for themselves. Popular titles, new and old, include the Dr Seuss books, The Cat in the Hat series as well as all the fairy tales, like Cinderella and The Frog and Prince, brought together in a classic collection, The Orchard Book of Fairy Tales.

The guide recommends a good selection of Irish children's writers like Niamh Sharkey's Irish Legends for the Very Young; Adrienne Geoghegan's Dogs Don't Wear Glasses and, refreshingly, Oscar Wilde's The Happy Prince.

In 11-plus bracket, children are a lot more assertive about their like and dislikes, and according to Sarah Webb, "many parents, especially of teenagers, worry that their offspring are reluctant to read. This can be a normal reaction to increasing school work and exam pressure". At this stage, reading, Webb advises, should be reinforced as way of fun and relaxation.

Books recommended for this age category also help the young reader to understand subjects like teenage pregnancy, war and drug addiction, all presented in ways, Webb assures, that help the readers form their own ideas and opinions on subjects.