1,000 Books Before Kindergarten

How to Participate

• Getting started is easy! Visit your nearest library’s Youth Services desk to pick up your folder with everything you need, including your first log sheet, recommended books and instructions.
• Read together. It’s fun, and creates memories for both of you. Check out this recommended Book List to get started!
• Write the titles of every book you share on the log sheet. If you read a book more than once, you can record it every time. If you listen to a book in storytime, at preschool, or anywhere else, you can log those too!
• When you finish 100 books, bring your completed sheet to the library to receive a small prize and your next tracking sheet. It’s also a good time to check out more books!
• After you finish 500 books, your child will receive a canvas book bag. (One bag per participating child.)
• After finishing 1,000 books, you will receive a book to keep and your child will have a great start on a lifetime love of books and reading!

Frequently Asked Questions

Who can participate in this program?

Any child from birth until they enter kindergarten can take part. The program will take from a few months to a few years, depending on how often you read together.

Why is it important to read to very young children?

Research demonstrates that children who are read to on a regular basis have an advantage when learning to read for themselves. Reading together builds early literacy skills which are the foundation for school and learning success.

Can I really expect to read 1,000 books to my child before kindergarten?

If you read only one bedtime story every night for three years you will have read 1,095 books. If you read just three books every day, you will have read 1,095 books in just one year!

I have more than one child I am reading to. Can I count the same title for each child?

Yes, and if one of your older children reads to their sibling, or a grandparent reads to their grandchild, you can count that also.

Check with staff at the Youth Services desk for ideas on great books to share. Be sure to pick up a schedule of library programs that are suitable for your preschooler.