1001 books before kindergarten illustration

1000 Books Before Kindergarten

1,000 Books Before Kindergarten is a fun way to help prepare your child for Kindergarten. For every book you read (yes, repeats count!), your child can color in a shell on the coloring sheet. In addition, anytime you sing a song, do a fingerplay, read a poem, etc., your child can color in a shell for each activity!

Participating is easy:

  • Sign up (or log in) online or in any library branch.
  • Color in a shell on the coloring sheet for every book read or Early Literacy Moment shared.
  • Take your log to your local branch to receive your next log and incentive.
  • Read our FAQ (pdf) for frequently asked questions.

Sign Up and Log Activity

Early Literacy Moments

Early Literacy Moments

Children who are read to from birth have a larger vocabulary and have a higher success rate of being lifelong readers and learners. Not sure how to begin? Check out these suggestions.

Early Literacy Moments PDF Early Literacy Moments (Spanish) PDF
program booklists

Suggested Books

Not sure where to start? Consider checking out one or more of these titles from MCPL's collection. If you need help or more book suggestions, just contact an MCPL librarian.