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Abstract

The value of children’s literature as a tool for promoting literacy, improving content knowledge, and increasing print motivation is evident. Empirical evidence relating to the types of books early childhood teachers read aloud and the reasons for their choices, however, does not exist. The purpose of this descriptive study was to provide current, in-depth documentation of the read-aloud book choices of prekindergarten teachers (n=151) in a nationally recognized, state-wide program regarding the variables of genre, publication date, and diversity along with the teachers’ rationale for selecting the books. Responses to two open-ended questions inspired by Yopp and Yopp (2006) were analyzed thematically and compared with research-based recommendations for best practices. Books read aloud were quite homogenous, including mostly recently published examples of contemporary realistic fiction or folklore with almost no multicultural or award-winning books present. The findings highlight the importance of increasing early childhood teachers’ knowledge of children’s literature and the implications of book choice on children’s development and learning.

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