Growing Readers

PREPARING YOUR CHILD TO READ

  • Learning to read can begin before your child enters kindergarten.
  • The best way to encourage your child to read is for you to read to them.
  • Families who read together improve their children’s vocabulary.
  • Children with larger vocabularies become better readers.
  • The library has books, tips, and programs that can help.

We invite you to join Growing Readers — APL’s free and self-paced early literacy program for children ages 0-5.  It’s easy to participate, and the rewards are priceless! 

 

HOW GROWING READERS WORKS

#1 | Register your little reader by calling a branch or visiting in person. 

#2 | Read to and with your child. Reading with your child helps them get ready to read and helps to strengthen the bond between you and your child.

#3 | OPTIONAL: Keep track of every time you read together. Tracking your reading is not required!

  • We provide a reading tracker for those of you who wish to track your child’s reading journey. The tracker contains 100 bubbles for your child to color in as you read books together. Each time you finish 100 books, turn the tracker in at your neighborhood branch and your child can add a leaf, butterfly, or bird with their name on it to the Growing Readers tree. 
  • If you choose not to track, simply read to your child at your own pace and visit a branch every other month to pick up your free book.

#4 | Come to the library to collect books for your home library and attend programs. 

  • As a member of Growing Readers, every two months you and your child can pick up a new book to add to your home library.
  • Also as a member, your child can attend special Growing Readers programs that will help to grow their love of reading.
  • The branches also host weekly storytimes and playgroups that you and your little one can participate in.
  • And, of course, we hope you browse the bookshelves and borrow from our vast variety of board books, picture books, and other books for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers.

 

BOOK SUGGESTIONS

For Babies

For Toddlers

For Preschoolers

 

GET MORE INFORMATION ABOUT GROWING READERS