By Shelley Harris, Children’s Librarian
School supplies are everywhere you look and first days of school and preschool are looming on your calendar, but it’s still solidly summer here at your library.
Oceans of Possibilities runs through August 31, so there are still a few more weeks of summer reading! Many families start the summer strong, logging every minute up to date, and slow down tracking over the summer. That’s fine! Do your best to judge how much you’ve read, and add it all in.
You have until August 31 to track and pick up prizes, so there’s still plenty of time to catch your account up to match what you’ve accomplished.
Looking for ideas on what to read?
I highlighted some new additions to our 2022 recommended reads for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers in this video.
I put together this group of books two summers ago, but they remain great reads!
Browse our recommended reads
We have them for all ages: favorite reads for babies through preschoolers, plus our creator reads include board and picture books for our youngest listeners. Check out our books by Black, Latinx, Asian, Native, LGBTQ+ creators, and more »
Make reading successful
Just like adults don’t necessarily read a book in one sitting, kids don’t always want to, either! If your child is feeling bored or restless, set the book aside and pick it up later to finish. Reading should be fun, and if they aren’t in the mood, that can chip away at interest.
Let kids choose their books, too! You might be bored of a Pete, Pigeon, or Pinkalicious marathon, but the familiarity of the characters and text is helping your child’s brain make connections.
Mix it up a little by telling new stories about beloved characters, telling the story from another character’s point of view, or singing a song about them, but keep letting your child read their favorites.
The more choice and autonomy a child has, the more invested they will be in reading and a reading routine! The days are long, the years are quick, and new characters will replace these current beloveds, I promise.
Let’s all enjoy these final weeks of summer, summer reading, and bead choosing! See you soon.
About Shelley
Shelley is a children’s librarian with a passion for early literacy, serving and celebrating the disability community, and exploring technology. She can often be found practicing storytime songs with her black lab, Bingo.
