Reading aloud is the most important thing parents can do to help their children love books and begin school ready to learn. It's never too early to start — reading to infants helps stimulate brain development. Below are recommendations of what infants, toddlers, and pre-schoolers like in books. Each section is followed by Dr. Aguilar's personal favorite picks (including Spanish books and stories about going to the doctor).

Please visit the American Academy of Pediatrics reading Web site. Also check out your local public library for more book selections. Make reading a part of your child's everyday life — and have fun!

What infants like in books:

• Board books with photos of babies
• Brightly colored board books to touch and taste
• Books with pictures of familiar objects such as balls and bottles
• Small books sized for small hands

Dr. A's Picks:

• Baby's Animal Friends by Phoebe Dunn
• Baby's Bedtime by Nikki Grimes
• Big and Little by Melanie Walsh
• Busy Baby by Naomi McMillan
• Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
• Good Dog, Carl by Alexandra Day
• I Love Colors by Margaret Miller
• Look at Your Baby Face! by Madeline Carter
• Moo, Baa, LA LA LA by Sandra Boynton
• No Diapers for Baby! by Denise L. Patrick
• Peekaboo, Baby! by Denise L. Patrick
• Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown
• Smile, Baby! By Denise L. Patrick

What toddlers like in books:

• Sturdy board books they can handle and carry
• Books with photos and pictures of children doing familiar things (sleeping, eating, playing)
• Rhymes, rhythms, repetitious text — books they can learn by heart
• Books about making friends, food, animals, trucks, etc.
• Goodnight books for bedtime

Dr. A's Picks:

• Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Eric Carle
• Clifford, the Big Red Dog by Norman Bridwell
• Dr. Seuss's ABC: An Amazing Book by Seuss
• Early Morning in the Barn by Nancy Talfuri
• Eating the Alphabet by Lois Ehlert
• Feast for 10 by Cathryn Falwell
• Freight Train by Donald Crews
• The Going to Bed Book by Sandra Boynton
• Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney
• Have You Seen My Duckling? By Nancy Talfuri
• I Spy Little Book by Jean Marzollo, et al
• Is Your Mama a Llama? by Deborah Guarino
• Jonathan and His Mommy by Irene Smalls-Hector
• The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper, et al
• Maisy's Colors by Lucy Cousins
• A Pocket for Corduroy by Don Freeman
• Rain Feet by Angela Johnson
• The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
• Ten, Nine, Eight by Molly Bang
• This Is the Way We Go to School by Edith Baer
• Thomas the Tank Engine by Christopher Moroney
• Truck by Donald Crews
• Where's Nicky? By Cathryn Falwell

What pre-schoolers like in books:

• Books that tell stories
• Books with simple text they can memorize
• Counting books, alphabet books, vocabulary books
• Books about different places and different ways of living

Dr. A's Picks:

• Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst
• Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman
• Bedtime for Frances by Russell Hoban
• A Chair for My Mother by Vera Williams
• Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin
• Curious George by Margret Rey, H.A. Rey
• The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash by Trinka Hakes Noble
• Eloise by Kay Thompson
• The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
• Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson
• If You Give A Mouse A Cookie by Felicia Bond
• Jamaica Tag-Along by Juanita Havill
• Jump Frog Jump! By Robert Kalin
• Leo the Late Bloomer by Robert Kraus
• Lisa's Airplane Trip by Anne Gutman, Georg Hallensleben
• Love You Forever by Sheila McGraw
• Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans
• Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton
• Mr. Pine's Purple House by Leonard P. Kessler
• No, David! By David Shannon
• Olivia by Ian Falconer
• The Story of Babar, the Little Elephant by Jean De Brunhoff
• The Stray Dog by Marc Simont
• The Three Pigs by David Wiesner
• Waiting for Wings by Lois Ehlert
• When Sophie Gets Angry - Really, Really Angry... by Molly Garrett Bang
• Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

Spanish books:

• Abuela's Weave / El Tapiz de Abuela by Omas S. Castaneda
• Bein' with You This Way / L'alegria De Ser Tu Y Yo by W. Nikola-Lisa
• My Colors / Mis Colores by Rebecca Emberley
• Taking a Walk / Caminado by Rebecca Emberly
• With My Brother / Con Mi Hermano by Eileen Roe

Books about going to the doctor:

• The Berenstain Bears Go to the Doctor by Stan Berenstain, Jan Berenstain
• Chris Gets Ear Tubes by Betty Pace
• Clifford Visits the Hospital by Norman Bridwell
• Corduroy Goes to the Doctor by Lisa McCue, Don Freeman
• Doctor Maisy by Lucy Cousing
• Elmo Goes to the doctor by Sarah Albee, Tom Brannon
• Franklin Goes to the Hospital by Sharon Jennings, et al
• Griffy Giraffe's Accident by Jennifer E. Sheehan
• Pooh Gets a Checkup by Kathleen Zoehfeld, Robbin Cuddy
• Pooh Plays Doctor by Kathleen Zoehfeld, Robbin Cuddy
• A Visit to the Sesame Street Hospital by Deborah Hautzig, Dan Elliott