Under one: board books and nursery rhymes. One to three: Max by Barbro Lindgren and Alfons Åberg by Gunilla Bergström. Three to six: Pettson and Findus by Sven Nordqvist, Gittan by Pija Lindenbaum, and Lotta, Emil and Pippi by Astrid Lindgren read aloud. Seven to twelve: Ronja Rövardotter, Mio min Mio and Bröderna Lejonhjärta. These are books that last, because they were written by people who liked children.
A nanny is standing in the children's section of a library in Stockholm on a Thursday at four o'clock with a two-year-old who wants to borrow a book about trains and a five-year-old who wants to borrow everything. She has one bag and half an hour. What she picks is roughly what is on this list, because those are the books that get read a second time. Thousands of new children's books come out every year and many are good, but these are the ones still lying on the sofa ten years later. We mention authors and titles, not plots; those you get to discover yourselves.
Under one: the book as an object
A baby does not read, it looks, chews and listens. Board books with one picture per spread, high-contrast colours, ideally faces. Stina Wirsén's little books about Vem (Who) already work here, because they are short and the characters are clear. Rhymes and chants, and the children's songs you know by heart, are reading too: the rhythm and the voice are what the baby takes in. Leave the book out among the toys. It should be something the child can pick up themselves, not something that gets brought out.
One to three: Max, Alfons and the first stories
- Barbro Lindgren and Eva Eriksson: the Max books. A few words per page, one plot, one ending. It is the two-year-old's own everyday life, and that is why they want them over and over again.
- Gunilla Bergström: Alfons Åberg (Alfie Atkins). Start with the shorter, simpler ones around two and a half. Alfons lasts until six or seven, because the books grow with the child.
- Inger and Lasse Sandberg: Lilla Anna and Lilla spöket Laban (Little Anna and Laban the Little Ghost). Soft, kind and just exciting enough for a child who has just begun to understand what a story is.
- Stina Wirsén: the Vem books. Small books about big feelings, for the very youngest.
- Elsa Beskow: Sagan om den lilla lilla gumman (The Tale of the Little, Little Old Woman). The first Beskow, with its rhythm and repetitions, works from age two. Save the rest of Beskow for later.
Three to six: picture books that last for years
- Sven Nordqvist: Pettson och Findus (Findus and Pettson). The pictures are so full of detail that your child finds something new the twentieth time. The text is longer, so start around three and a half.
- Pija Lindenbaum: Gittan, Kenta and the others. Modern classics about being scared, being different and daring anyway. Good books for conversation from age four.
- Elsa Beskow: Puttes äventyr i blåbärsskogen (Peter in Blueberry Land), Tant Grön, Tant Brun och Tant Gredelin (Aunt Green, Aunt Brown and Aunt Lavender), Pelles nya kläder (Pelle's New Suit). A hundred years old and still read, because the pictures are so good.
- Astrid Lindgren: Lotta på Bråkmakargatan (Lotta on Troublemaker Street), Barnen i Bullerbyn (The Children of Noisy Village), Emil i Lönneberga (Emil of Lönneberga). Read aloud from age four. Emil, in chapters, is often the first book a child asks for "one more chapter" of.
- Astrid Lindgren: Pippi Långstrump (Pippi Longstocking). From five. The child needs to understand that it is all in fun for it to be funny.
- Jujja Wieslander and Sven Nordqvist: Mamma Mu (Mamma Moo). A cow who wants to do things cows do not do. Works from three.
Six to nine: the first chapter books
Now the child reads on their own, slowly, and needs two kinds of books: easy readers to practise on and real stories to be read to them. The latter include Astrid Lindgren's Madicken (Mardie), Karlsson på taket (Karlsson on the Roof) and Rasmus på luffen (Rasmus and the Vagabond), all of which work read aloud to six-year-olds and as independent reading a few years later. Gösta Knutsson's Pelle Svanslös and Barbro Lindgren's Loranga are others that are still borrowed. For independent reading there are series of easy readers at every library, and the librarian knows which ones suit your particular reader. Mix them: your child reads an easy reader on their own, you read Madicken aloud. That is how independent reading and the love of it are kept together.
Nine to twelve: when the books get big
This is the age for Astrid Lindgren's big books: Ronja Rövardotter (Ronia, the Robber's Daughter), Mio min Mio (Mio, My Son) and Bröderna Lejonhjärta (The Brothers Lionheart). The last two deal with fear and death, and they are written for children, but do read them together the first time so you are there when the questions come. The books about Kalle Blomkvist (Bill Bergson) and Vi på Saltkråkan (Seacrow Island) are lighter and work well as independent reading. This is also where your child starts finding authors of their own that you have never heard of, and that is the point. Your job becomes making sure there are books at home, that the library visits continue, and not to judge. A twelve-year-old who reads comics is reading.
| Age | Start with | Move on to |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to 1 year | Board books, the Vem books | Rhymes, children's songs |
| 1 to 3 years | Max, Lilla Anna, Lilla spöket Laban | Alfons Åberg, Sagan om den lilla lilla gumman |
| 3 to 6 years | Pettson och Findus, Mamma Mu, Gittan | Lotta, Bullerbyn, Emil, Pippi, Elsa Beskow |
| 6 to 9 years | Madicken, Karlsson på taket, Pelle Svanslös | Easy-reader series for independent reading, Loranga |
| 9 to 12 years | Ronja Rövardotter, Mästerdetektiven Blomkvist | Mio min Mio, Bröderna Lejonhjärta, Saltkråkan |
Buying, borrowing and building a shelf
Borrow most of it. Stockholm's libraries have children's sections designed to be spent time in, with play corners and story times, and a library card costs nothing. Buy what your child asks for a third time; those are the books that belong on the shelf. Buy second-hand for the youngest, since board books get wrecked anyway. A shelf at your child's height with twenty books they chose themselves is worth more than a wall of books someone else thought were good. And always have a book in your bag. Read more in our guide to Children's libraries in Stockholm and on Reading to children.
The child who wants the same book
Every parent has read a book so many times they could recite it without looking. That is not a sign that your child is stuck. It is how language is learned: the child hears new words, sees new details and can eventually tell the story themselves. Read it. Put a new book before it, not instead of it. And look at what your child chooses, because it says something: trains, animals, books where someone is scared and copes. Ask the librarian for more in the same vein.
How we do it with our families
Aleksandra has a rule for the families she looks after herself: a library visit every other week, on the way home from förskola (municipal preschool, from age one). The two-year-old gets to choose two books, she chooses two. At home the new ones go in a basket in the living room and the old ones are returned. On the note to the parents she writes which ones were borrowed and which became the favourite, so they know what to read in the evening. When a book has been borrowed three times she suggests the family buy it. The same nanny every other Thursday means she knows which books the child has already heard, and which ones it is time for.
Would you like a nanny who comes on the same days every week and whom the children know? Book a free first meeting with the nanny in your home, and we will work out a quote for your hours.
Read more: Reading to children · Children's libraries in Stockholm · Bedtime stories for kids · FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Which books suit a one-year-old?
Board books that can stand being chewed, with one thing per spread: animals, things around the home, faces. Barbro Lindgren's books about Max are an obvious choice, as are Stina Wirsén's little Vem books. Rhymes and chants work long before the child understands the words, because it is the rhythm and the voice the child is listening to.
Which book should we start with for a three-year-old?
Alfons Åberg by Gunilla Bergström is the classic starting point: close to everyday life, just the right length and with a dad who has patience. Pettson och Findus by Sven Nordqvist, with its jam-packed pictures, works from about the same age and lasts for years, because the pictures hold more every time.
When can you start reading Astrid Lindgren?
Lotta på Bråkmakargatan, Emil i Lönneberga and Barnen i Bullerbyn work read aloud from about age four. Pippi from five. Ronja Rövardotter, Mio min Mio and Bröderna Lejonhjärta are for school-age children, and Bröderna Lejonhjärta is about death, so read it together.
Should I buy or borrow?
Borrow most of it and buy what your child wants over and over again. The libraries in Stockholm have large children's sections and library cards are free. Books for the youngest get worn out, so second-hand is a good option. A shelf of their own with twenty favourites is worth more than a hundred books your child never chose.
My child only wants one and the same book, what do I do?
Read it. Repetition is how children learn language, and your child hears new things every time. Add a new book before the favourite if you need variety yourselves, and let your child discover that the same author often has more books. Do ask the librarian for books in the same spirit.