All library locations are closed on Friday, October 11th for library staff training.
Why Should I Sign Up?
Reading books and sharing stories with your child is one of the best ways to give them the language skills they need to succeed in Kindergarten. The 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten challenge is a nationwide reading program for parents and caregivers to complete with their children from ages birth to 5. It may sound like an unrealistic goal but just one bedtime story a night for 3 years puts you at the 1,000 mark!
You can start today by keeping track of what you read to your child with one of our paper logs or by using the Beanstack app.
If you haven't already, sign up on Beanstack to track the books you are reading to your child. The goal is to read 1,000 books with your child before he or she enters Kindergarten.
If you prefer to use a paper reading log, stop by one of our libraries and they will sign you up on Beanstack and give you a paper log that you and your child can use to track their reading. Paper logs are also available in Spanish.
You can also print your own Reading Log:
Reading Log PDF File (Write-in Reading Log)
Reading Log PDF File (Color-in Reading Log)
Archivo PDF de Registro de Lectura (Por Escrito)
Archivo PDF de Registro de Lectura (De Color)
Most picture books take less than five minutes to read aloud. By reading just one bedtime story each day, you and your child can read 1,000 books in less than three years! You can read the same book multiple times and it will count every time. Storytime counts, too! Be sure to log the books you and your child listen to during storytimes.
Not sure what to read to your child next? Our staff is trained to recommend new books to all ages. Our children’s areas are child-friendly spaces and we encourage you to discover new books to read together. This is a great space for your child to explore books in a natural way.
Reading 1,000 books is a big deal and we would love to celebrate your child’s milestones along the way! The library has milestone prizes when your child reaches 50, 100, 300, 600, and 1,000 books. At 50 books, your child will receive a passport that they can bring with them to the library to get stamped every hundred books they read.
We would love to get a milestone picture of your child, too. The Library posts 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten milestone pictures on social media during the first week of every month.
Follow us @FoCoLibrary to join in the celebration.
