Families Read Together workshops are open to adult learners who are caregivers to children ages 0-17. Those who take part will learn how to help children with literacy skills. There are also lots of great gifts like books and tickets to local cultural spots. Talk to the literacy coordinator at your nearest literacy center for more information.
Picture Books for Everyone
Picture books aren’t just for the littlest children. Picture books can be shared at almost any age. The books shown here explore themes of helping, working on projects, kindness, morals, and more. You’ll also find an older version of the modern day scammer…the trickster. Reading books like these with your children will help you to talk about these important issues and help you guide your child along the path of life.
Guessing Game
Books that encourage guessing help children imagine and predict. This helps children’s brains develop. While reading books like the ones below, ask your child to guess what they think will happen on the next page. Try not to focus too much on whether the guess is “right” or “wrong”. Just have fun and sharpen your guessing skills!
I Love You So Much
Little Gorilla is a classic story of love for a child. It can be fun to sing “Happy Birthday” to Little Gorilla and practice counting. How old is Little Gorilla? How old is the child being read to? How old are you?! This list includes books about growing up and being loved. Reading them is a great way for caregivers and children to show how much they care about each other no matter what. Don’t forget to tell your child that you love them more each day!
Pop Up and Read
Pop-up books are a great choice to read to children. Pictures explode from every page making kids want to explore the whole book, even kids who have a hard time with reading. Here are some of our favorite pop-up books available at the library that you will want to share over and over again with the child in your life!
Snow and Cold
Brrr! Books about cold and snow make us think about winter in colder climates. Reading these books, we can learn how people dress in winter and how people play in the snow. Has your child ever seen snow? Have you? Talk about what that is like or what you both think it would be like. Look for the items below at your local library, and get ready to chill out with a good book.
Rhyme Time
There are many reasons to read rhyming books with babies and toddlers. It helps them to hear rhythms in speech and practice patterns. The sound of your voice as you read in a “sing-song” way can also make story time more fun for a young child. Here are some of our favorite children’s books that focus on rhyming.
Fun With Animals
Children love animals, and they love to read about them too! When you choose books from this list, have fun naming the animals and making animal sounds. Ask questions like “What’s your favorite animal?” and “If you could be any animal, what would it be?” This is a great way to bond and get to know your child better.
Books Come Alive
Make a book come to life. Copy, trace, or draw items from any book. Have your child color the items. Using children’s scissors, they can practice (with your help) to cut the items out. When you read the book, they can hold up the items they made as the story goes on and each item appears. This will help your child learn story order and fine motor skills while having fun! Here are some of our favorite books with common colorful items that are fun to name and make.
Yummy Reads
A fun way to help your child learn is to point out and name the fruits and vegetables you see when you go to a grocery store. You can talk about colors, shapes, sizes, and what they might taste like. The books on this list will give you lots of foods to talk about. They are also very colorful and promote healthy eating.
Sleep Tight
Bedtime can be hard for both kids and caregivers. That’s why there are so many great books about it! Our picks for bedtime books are gentle and calm. They will help you set up a pattern to stick to. Learning good sleep habits now will be good for both you and your kids in the future.