1,000 Books Before Kindergarten

Develop your child's early literacy skills, teach them to love books, and prepare them for school by participating in 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten.

 

How does the program work?
Track books you read with your child and then come to the library after each 100 books read to collect a small prize. When your child has reached the 1,000 books goal, they will receive a book to keep.

 

Who can participate?
Any baby, toddler, or child age 0-5 years who has not yet started Kindergarten.

 

How do I register my child?

To sign up and log reading online, visit our Beanstack page.  To sign up in-person and log reading on paper, stop by the Children's Desk in the library.

 

How do I track books I've read with my child?

There are two ways to track the books you read to your child. You can track the books online through our Beanstack page or you can track books on a paper reading log. To track books on the paper log, simply color in one star on the reading log for each book you read with your child. If you read the same book multiple times, you can count it each time. Click here to print reading logs.

 

How long do we have to complete the program?

You have until your child begins Kindergarten to complete the program. The program runs year-round, so you can complete reading logs at whatever pace is comfortable for you.

 

What books should I read to my child?
Board books are great for infants and toddlers since they did not rip as easily as regular books. Try picking out books with bright colors and repeating words. Bright colors help establish different shapes and pictures. Repeating words helps create correlation between what your child sees (a picture of a bear) and what they hear (the word “bear.”)  Rhyming is also important, since it teaches children how word sounds and sentences work, and also prepares them to make predictions about what will come next. Scroll to the bottom of the page for a list of some of our favorite books.

 

What should I be doing while reading to my child?
When reading, point to words and pictures that your child can relate to and say them out loud, so your child gets an understanding of what these concepts are. When your child can speak, point to words and pictures familiar to them and ask them to say what they are. As they get older, start asking questions about what is going on in the story, or what they think might happen next. Try to read as a family. Reading is not only a great learning exercise, but a great social exercise as well. But most importantly, just read as much as possible, even if it’s just a few minutes at a time.

 

 

Explore Our Booklists:

Recently Added

What Riley Wore

What Riley Wore
by Elana K. Arnold

Gender-creative Riley knows just what to wear for every occasion during a busy week with family and friends.

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Thunder Boy Jr.

Thunder Boy Jr.
by Sherman Alexie

Thunder Boy Jr. wants a normal name ... one that's all his own. Dad is known as Big Thunder, but Little Thunder doesn't want to share a name.

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Hands Up!

Hands Up!
by Breanna J. McDaniel

A young girl lifts her hands up in a series of everyday moments before finally raising her hands in resistance at a protest march.

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Jabari Jumps

Jabari Jumps
by Gaia Cornwall

Jabari is definitely ready to jump off the diving board. He's finished his swimming lessons and passed his swim test, and he's a great jumper, so he's not scared at all.

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Bark, George

Bark, George
by Jules Feiffer

George is a puppy who does not sound like a puppy should, despite the efforts of his mother.

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How Do Dinosaurs Say I Love You?

How Do Dinosaurs Say I Love You?
by Jane Yolen

Illustrations and rhyming text present some of the different ways dinosaurs can express their love, from cleaning up after making a mess to smiling sweetly instead of roaring.

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Jumanji

Jumanji
by Chris Van Allsburg

Left on their own for an afternoon, two bored and restless children find more excitement than they bargained for in a mysterious and mystical jungle adventure board game.

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How I Became a Pirate

How I Became a Pirate
by Melinda Long

Jeremy Jacob joins Braid Beard and his pirate crew and finds out about pirate language, pirate manners, and other aspects of their life.

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Madam President

Madam President
by Lane Smith

A little girl imagines what her day would be like if she were President of the United States.

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Dinosaur vs. Bedtime

Dinosaur vs. Bedtime
by Bob Shea

A young dinosaur takes on many challenges and wins every time. Then Dinosaur faces his toughest challenge of all: bedtime.

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