If you’ve been to the children’s section of your library before, you may have heard of our 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten program. This is a year-round reading program that encourages caregivers to spend quality time with their littles and read together. Reading to young children is the best way to prepare them for kindergarten, and this program just gives you and your little an extra incentive to keep going.
The idea of reading 1,000 books may seem intimidating, but you’re most likely already on track to reach this goal. If you read just one book a night, that’s 365 books in a year. Keep up that momentum, and you’ll reach 1,000 books in less than three years! We also know that you are probably reading the same books over and over again, but you’re in luck: all those re-reads count towards your total.
For every 50 books you read, head to the library to get a prize. When you finish the program, you will receive an invitation to a special graduation ceremony to acknowledge our readers. These are held each fall and spring, and our next one is April 18 at Bowman Library. Make sure you register!
How To Get Started
Everything is done through the Beanstack app. To get started, first log in or create an account. If you have done our summer reading programs before, this uses the same app. If you can’t remember your login information, just email beanstackhelp@handleyregional.org. Then you can join the program and start tracking your books. You can also always come in to the children’s section of the library, and we would be happy to help you get all set up.
If you need any recommendations for books to start with, sign up for our Picture This! and/or Beginning Readers newsletters, or fill out our BookMatch Junior! form to get a list of books specifically selected for you.