Good news: books are alive and well in the digital age!

While studies arguing the negative and positive effects of ebooks on children abound, Americans still buy print copies of their favorite books. Yes, ebooks are convenient. And yes, as one recent study shows, we prefer them to a stack of books when traveling.

However, that same study notes that parents and children largely prefer to read print copies of books together when at home. Why? Well, call us nostalgic, but there’s just something about the experience of picking up a book off the shelf and turning each page with anticipation.

Create new memories with your kids (in the classroom, too!) this year with some of these best books for kids. We’ve even included ideas for pairing books with ECR4kids products to boost learning experiences. Ready, set, read!

Best Pre-K Book

A Boy and a Jaguar by Alan Rabinowitz

Pair with: ECR4Kids Climbing Softzone

Meet Alan, a little boy who suffers a stuttering problem–except when he’s talking to animals, particularly to the great cats at the Bronx Zoo. This 2015 Schneider Family Book Award-Winner will keep your little ones intrigued.

When you’re done reading, invite your child to pretend she’s a big jungle cat prowling the kid-friendly ECR4Kids Climbing Softzone.

Best Kindergarten Book

I Will Take a Nap! by Mo Willems

Pair with: ECR4Kids nap cots or rest mats

This book about napping will resonate with your little napper, whether they’re napping at home or at school. Gerald the elephant is tired and wants to go to sleep. Piggie wants to keep Gerald awake. Who will win out? Find out when you read this entertaining Elephant and Piggie book.

Nap time already? ECR4Kids nap cots and rest mats are renowned for sending little ones off to dreamland in no time.

Best 1st Grade Book

(6 years old)

Look at That Building: A First Book of Structures by Scot Ritchie

Pair with: ECR4Kids wood blocks

Is your 6-year-old full of questions? Answer a few of them by delving into this intriguing book about interesting buildings and how they’re constructed. After you both learn all about how five friends learned to create a doghouse for their pet dog, encourage your child to use their imaginations and build away with a gorgeous ECR4Kids wood block set.

Best 2nd Grade Book

(7-9 year olds)

Lee Cleans His Room by Leela Hope

Pair with: ECR4Kids storage carts, organizers, and units

You finally got the living room sparkling from the drapes to the carpet. But as soon as you turn around, your 2nd grader has opened up three board games and started an arts and crafts project. Make cleanup fun with this humorous story about a young boy who–surprise, surprise–hates cleaning. He tries to find a way around it (we’ve all tried), but his solution doesn’t quite go as planned.

Get a laugh with your kiddo, and check out our huge selection of ECR4Kids storage carts, organizers, and units that make cleanup a bit easier.

Best 3rd Grade Book

(8-9 year olds)

The Noisy Paint Box: The Colors and Sounds of Kandinsky’s Abstract Art by Barb Rosenstock

Pair with: ECR4Kids Paints/Easels

Your child will learn all about abstract art in this fun illustrated story. Instead of “painting inside the lines,” young Vasya Kandinsky learns to use his imagination, and opens up a bright new world. Afterward, invite your child to work on their own pieces of art at their ECR4Kids child-sized easel.

Best 4th Grade Book

(9-10 years old)

The Christmas Present by Alexander McCabe

Pair with: ECR4Kids scissors and colorful tape

In the world of Gabriel the Elf, all Christmas elves are assigned to a child. As soon as the child stops believing in Santa, the elf is banished from the North Pole. Unfortunately, Gabriel’s assignee is just starting to think Santa isn’t real. Gabriel’s goal? To find a way to make his child believe again, and to show him the meaning of gratefulness during the holidays. (Cliffhanger, right?)

Invite your child on this meaningful journey, and then let them help you wrap some gifts or make cards for others with ECR4Kids scissors and colorful tape.

Best 5th Grade Book

(10-12 years old)

The Dumbest Idea Ever! by Jimmy Gownley

Pair with: ECR comfortable ergonomic chair

It can be hard to keep your 10-year-old reading, but graphic novels help! Gift your child with a book that they’ll enjoy reading. They’ll follow the story of Jimmy, a 13-year-old going through the ups and downs of being a teenager.

Encourage your child to settle in and read with an ECR4Kids adult-sized comfortable ergonomic chair.

Now that you’ve purchased the perfect book to add to your child’s book collection, don’t let them fall to the back of the bookshelf. Keep your child’s books easily accessible with an ECR4Kids book display that keeps books front-and-center. Let the reading adventures begin!

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