Program Overview
“Experts tell us that children need to hear a thousand stories read aloud before they begin to learn to read for themselves.” – Mem Fox, Reading Magic
Does it sound hard? It isn’t, really. If you read just 1 book a night, you will have read about 365 books in a year. That is 730 books in 2 years and 1,095 books in 3 years! If you consider that most children start kindergarten at around 5 years of age, you have more time than you think!
How the Program Works
- If you’d like to log the books you and your child read together on paper, contact Juan Perez at juperez@cosb.us to receive a 1000 Books Before Kindergarten booklet. If you’d like to log your books online or via a mobile device, register for our online 1000 Books Before Kindergarten program on Beanstack at http://sbcfl.beanstack.org.
- Log each book you and your child read together on Beanstack or by coloring a circle in your booklet.
- Each time you read 50 books, contact the library at (831) 636-4107 or juperez@cosb.us to collect a sticker.
- Each time you read 100 books, contact the library at (831) 636-4107 or juperez@cosb.us to receive a free book.
- When you read 500 books, you will receive a special prize.
- When you read 1000 books, you’ll receive a special prize and a finisher’s certificate!
Help! I don’t know which books to read!
The San Benito County Free Library staff and librarians will gladly help you pick some books to read with your child(ren). Give us a call at (831) 636-4107, send us an email to library@cosb.us, or chat with us at “Ask A Librarian” to get some recommendations.
What if my child wants to read the same book over and over?
Repetition is key to learning. Each time you read a book, it counts. If you read the same book 5 times, log 5 books or color 5 circles.
Do I have to read books from the Library?
You can read books from anywhere, in any language.
Can I log books my child hears in story time?
Yes! Any and every book your child hears counts for this program!
