Everyone knows it's important to read to your kids. That's something I was told at least four time per week when I was pregnant with my first, and it only increased after Negi was born. Even our pediatrician asks how often we read to the kids and what we read. But when you actually sit down with a baby or toddler, you realize that this isn't as easy as everyone made it out to be.
Reading to Kids Fantasy: sitting nicely on the made bed in a perfectly clean room or on the couch, with kids tucked on either side of you and the baby in your lap, reading aloud while the children stare at the pages and hold still with rapt attention. You can practically hear their excitement as the tension builds and we find out what Emily Elizabeth's first day of school will be like.
Reading to Babies Reality: paying little to no attention to the pages, attempting to rip out the pages if possible, crawling all over the jungle-gym that is the parent's body, and potentially crying because you are holding an object and talking rather than holding them and standing up.
Reading to Toddlers Reality: screaming. Gee, that's a neat picture I guess. Why are you talking? Look at this toy. Can you carry me around like Superman? HE TOOK MY PAW PATROL PUPPY!!!! Stop taaaaaalking. I didn't do anything he just started crying really. I like that picture. [rips piece of page off] I want to turn the page! [rips page out entirely] I'm hungry again. Can I have a cookie? Can we watch Hercules?
Maybe girls are easier.
Since we moved the boys into big-boy beds a couple years ago, we've stuck with the 3 story rule: 3 stories before nap and 3 before bedtime. We've unfortunately eliminated naptime (yeah, that sucks) but still have Quiet Time when I can manage and be reasonably sure they won't just roughhouse the whole time and break things. We've read hundreds of books. We've read books over and over and over. We've read a book once, forgot it in the bedroom when the parent left, and returned to find it torn into hundreds of tiny paper pieces and sometimes two hardcover pieces (so many books were lost this way). Here's some realistic tips for reading to kids, and some of the books that have worked well for us, based on my experiences:
KEEP IT SHORT.
While your pregnant self might think that reading the original Curious George stories before bedtime is a wonderful idea, the horror settles in when you get six pages in and realize that those books have a couple paragraphs on each page and there are a lot of pages. That is way too long for a toddler attention span.
Find a Place for Your Books
Babies might be able to handle and love their books on a shelf, but otherwise I've had terrible experiences keeping the kids' books in their rooms (see two paragraphs above). I'd suggest finding a shelf in a main area, like the living room, your bedroom, or even the kitchen, and putting the books there. You be the judge on if it should be at or above their reach. Right now, ours are in the cupboard at the end of the hallway next to their bedrooms, which also holds things they shouldn't play with and is thus kept locked via the Safety First cupboard locks. I return the books to the cupboard after storytime.
Interactive Books for Babies
Babies love books with textures. Holding their hands and helping them touch the new textures keeps them engaged and they love both the interaction with you and the books. Also, these books are usually very short, with a couple words per page if that. Win.
Cater to Their Interests
Negi freaking loves dinosaurs, particularly T Rexes. So we have a ton of dinosaur books. I'm A T. Rex, when read as a T. Rex in a growling voice and roaring the title phrase when appropriate, still delights them after almost two years. We've been through three copies so far so I suggest stocking up on those. Oliver loves choo-choo trains, so we have several Thomas the Train books.
Cater to Your Interests, A Little
Don't pick the ones that your kids have zero interest in that you loved, but if there's a book or series that they like and you enjoy reading, stock up.
Have Variety
While yes, there are going to be books that you read over. and over. and over. The 3 book rule usually left a little wiggle room for changing it up. Have plenty of books (enough to fill at least one shelf in your home) and read two that you hadn't read that day, then the Favorite Book to complete storytime. This helps both you and the kids avoid being bored to tears.
Check Out Story Collections
The Great Big Dinosaur Treasury was a gift, and when I had to replace it (thanks boys) I ordered another one off Amazon without hesitation. It has a huge variety in art styles, story length and styles, and humor. Story collections can be picked up cheaply (see next point) and give you a variety (if you pick a collection with just a topic to tie them together) or a bunch of stories that you are pretty much guaranteed to love (if you pick a series-specific collection). It saves you having to buy the individual books and can introduce you to new stories and authors that you otherwise wouldn't have found.
Don't Spend A Fortune
Have you looked at new books at the store? For $20 I can get 2-3 short books for little kids at Meijer right now. Kids are rough, and books are gonna get a lot of wear and tear, particularly if they are good. If you have particular titles in mind, buy online (which is cheaper than stores 95% of the time and usually includes free shipping!), but if you just want to grab a bunch of kids books for cheap? Go to your local thrift stores. Goodwill, Salvation Army, independent thrift stores... Once Upon a Child and other specialty used kids shops are usually a couple quarters more, but they're still way cheaper than buying new. And a ton of these books are usually already in great condition! If you feel brave enough, you can even take one or two kids with you (avoid the toy section it's cheap but dangerous for your wallet/toy storage problem) and fill up a big basket together. Then go home and build your library.
Set a Routine and Stick to It.
This is important. Kids work with routines and develop expectations built around them (the boys know that lunch->diapers and cleanup->storytime->Quiet Time). Also it helps you remember to do the reading, and give you the ability to reply with smug confidence to people asking "Do you even read to the kids?"
"Of course!"