Reading with your child is one of the most important activities you can do with them. Try to spend 15 minutes a day reading aloud to your child. Children who are read to are more likely to want to read themselves, allowing them to jump right into reading when they start school.
Here are some tips for reading with your child:
- Point out letters all around you - on signs, packages, trucks, and trains.
- Read ABC books.
- Talk about the pictures in books and ask your child to describe what is happening.
- Point out words on a page and match the word to the picture in the book.
- Attend a storytime at any of our locations. We even have some during the evenings and on the weekends.
DOWNLOAD the Simple Steps Activity Sheets and read, write, sing, play, and talk in your own home.
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Playlists on YouTube:
The Simple Steps program is made possible through a generous grant from:
Great Books for Reading
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Snuggle When We Read This Book
The best family snuggle time is when a book is involved! This beautiful picture book is an equally endearing follow-up to Whisper and features a cozy duo of koalas, parent and child, preparing for bedtime. The little koala adorably suggests they snuggle while they read before bedtime and ultimately falls fast asleep.
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Touch and Trace ABC
Young children learn the lowercase letters from A to Z with this interactive touch-and-trace book from the My First Home Learning series.
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Who Loves Books?
An interactive instant classic for inquisitive young minds and budding book lovers. For fans of Look!, Love You, Hug You, Read To You, and Bunny's Book Club, this touchable, delightful board book is sure to delight and excite children ages 0–3.
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A Walk in the Words
Hudson Talbott's inspiring story vividly reveals the challenges--and ultimately the rewards--of being a non-mainstream kind of learner.
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So You Want to Build a Library
The reader is put in charge of building a fantastical library where everything is possible including a waterslide, zip line, really large ladders, and of course, a full-service sudae bar.
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Negative Cat
Two-time Caldecott winner Sophie Blackall spins a winning tale about Max, a feline whose behavior doesn't win any raves, except from the boy who believes in him and finds a way to turn a negative into a positive.
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Have You Seen This Book?
A hilarious, interactive book that breaks the fourth wall about a boy confronts a book thief when his favorite story is stolen. Perfect for fans of Don't Push the Button and There's a Monster in Your Book!
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Things I Love about Books
What do you love most about books? Inspired by the things children say they love most about reading, this book features a diverse cast of characters acting out imaginative depictions of their favorite things about reading. From a girl who loves learning about new people to three friends who love when books make them sleepy, each beautiful page will inspire readers to list their own favorite things about the books they love to read.
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Digging for Words
A gorgeous and inspiring picture book based on the life of José Alberto Gutiérrez, a garbage collector in Bogotá, Colombia who started a library with a single discarded book found on his route.
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Definitely Do Not Open This Book
Please do not read this book -- it's way too funny! No, really! The fun never ends in this sidesplitting sequel to Do Not Open This Book! Readers will be determined to reach the end of this hysterical story -- no matter what the little monster on the pages says or does. This time, he's pulled out all the stops to avoid having to go to sleep, and he's up to all kinds of hilarious shenanigans to stay awake! Readers will delight in defying the monster as he brings surprises and excitement to every page!
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Rectangle Time
Perfect for story time, Pamela Paul's funny and charming story about books, pets, and reading together will enchant readers of all ages.
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Duck, Duck, Moose
Duck, Duck, Moose! Where is Goose? Help four friends search for Goose in this laugh-out-loud rhyming picture book from Geisel honor winner Mary Sullivan, perfect for reading aloud and for fans of I Yam A Donkey and The Bad Seed.
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Just a Story
Reading is wild, dangerous... fantastic! The possibilities are endless, the perils enormous--good thing it's just a story.
A boy happens upon a discarded book that transforms a library into an escalating series of near misses and close encounters with dastardly pirates, a herd of scooter-riding elephants, a big blue whale, and is that an alien in an Elvis wig?
But surprise, he escapes without a scratch, because it's just a story...
With an exuberant art style reminiscent of newspaper comic strips, illustrator Jeff Mack brings imagination to life in this riotous tale about the power of reading.
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You Have to Read This Book!
Morris is excited to share his favorite childhood book with his son, Benny. The problem? Benny isn’t interested.
Not even if it’s the last book in the pile.
Not even if it’s the last book in the house.
Not even if it’s the only book Morris brings on their desert vacation, and their plane has just left, and their train has just departed, and the camel they rode in on is far, far, away.
And they are stranded.
Not even then.
Unless...? -
My Very Favorite Book in the Whole Wide World
From Super Bowl champion and literacy crusader Malcolm Mitchell comes an exciting new story that shows even reluctant readers that there is a book out there for everyone!
Meet Henley, an all-around good kid, who hates to read. When he's supposed to be reading, he would rather do anything else. But one day, he gets the scariest homework assignment in the world: find your favorite book to share with the class tomorrow.