1000 Books Before Kindergarten

Who may join . . .

  • 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten is open to all children who have not yet started Kindergarten.
  • Students currently enrolled in Pre-K are eligible to participate.
  • The child or parent must have a library card. Signing up for a  library card is easy and free.   All we require is a valid photo ID and proof of current address.

How to get started . . .

  1. Visit the Library and get a book bag and a reading log for your first 100 books.
  2. Fill your bag with books.
  3. Enjoy reading together.

It’s okay to read the same book multiple times.

  1. Circle a number on your reading log each time you read a book. If you the same book 3, 4, 5 or even 10 times – circle that many    numbers.  🙂

Visit the Library as often as you’d like, but keep in mind you can read books from anywhere and add them to your reading log.

  1. After every 100 titles, be sure to visit the Library for more books, a prize, and the reading log for the next 100 books.
  2. When your child reaches 1,000 books, your child will receive a t-shirt and have their name & picture in the Mellen Weekly Record newspaper.

Tips for reading with young children . . .

Babies (0-18 months)

  • Choose board books with bright colors and simple pictures.
  • Babies have short attention spans. It’s okay to read for just a few minutes
  • Babies enjoy and respond to repeated sounds, words, and rhymes.  Nursery rhymes are a great choice for this age group.

Toddlers (1-3 years old)

  • When you read, point to familiar words and pictures on the page. Your child will begin to understand that words can be put     together to tell a story.
  • Reading favorite books again and again helps build important connections in the brain.
  • Invite your toddler to hold the book open and turn the pages while you read.

Preschoolers (3-5 years old)

  • Emphasize rhyming words as you read together.
  • Invite your child to provide sound effects to go along with the stories you read.  Ask questions such as “What sound does a truck make?” or “What does a cat say?”