Imagine meeting your Kindergarten teacher for the first time and proudly saying “I just finished reading 1000 books!”  Boone County Public Library has created a program that makes this possible.  While bonding and creating life-long memories for both child and adult, families and caregivers read together every day while accomplishing a major goal. Studies show that reading with young children is the single most important activity adults can do to prepare children for kindergarten; it builds vocabulary as well as language skills.  In as little as 15 minutes a day, families can build the skills for future school and life success.

The average picture book takes just 5 minutes to read. Three books a day, which totals 15 minutes a day, for one year, equates to 1,095 books. And you can even take more than one year if you prefer. Keep in mind that you can also include books read at childcare centers, waiting at the doctor’s office, watching BCPL Virtual Storytimes, listening to books on CD, or walking along the StoryWalks in Boone County.  And you can read the same books over and over!  So there’s no need to hide that favorite book you have already read ten times this week.  It counts as ten books and counts as more every time you read it.

Participants
Preschoolers (ages 0-5) and their family/caregivers.

Registration
To register your child, create a Beanstack account and follow the prompts. If you participated in our 2020 Summer Reading program, please sign-in to your existing Beanstack account. Or if you prefer paper, download a printable Reading Log. Download the FREE Beanstack Tracker app available from Apple App Store and Google Play Store. The app is easy to use, has an ISBN scan feature, and allows you to manage all the readers in your family.

Track Reading
Any time your child reads a book, or you read a book to him/her, mark it in the log. We encourage reading the same book several times, and each reading of the book counts. Young readers will earn milestone badges as they work towards 1000 books!

Milestone Rewards
Each time your child completes a 100 book milestone, visit BCPL for a small prize. All prizes must be picked up from a BCPL location.

BCPL wants to be your biggest cheerleader in reaching this goal!  If you need assistance, please contact us at 1000books@bcpl.org.