100 books down, 900 to go
SLIPPERY ROCK — Will Pyda, 4, moseyed through towering bookshelves, eyed each bright, colorful spine and pulled out the book of his choice.
“I was glad they started this program, It's a fun way to keep him reading,” said his mother, Bethany Pyda of Harrisville. “He already recognizes more words than I did when I went to kindergarten.”
Will, a preschooler, was the first participant to reach the 100-book milestone in the Slippery Rock Community Library's “1,000 Books Before Kindergarten” program that encourages parents and guardians to read 1,000 books with their children before they start kindergarten.
The program that kicked off in mid-November was offered at the library for the first time, said Tiffany Frampton, the children's librarian. About 40 children are registered after the program's first six weeks.
Parents are given information on the importance of early literacy and different ideas to incorporate reading at home.
Children receive a free book to start the program. For every 100 books they read, they get a prize.
If a child would have read an average of 2 to 3 books since the program started, they could have possibly reached 100 books by this time, Frampton said.
“Will is a determined young man,” Frampton said.
Pyda and her son read 100 books in about a month, Pyda said.
Since he was a baby, Pyda has read to her son.
“I grew up reading books, and my mom would read to us, and we'd go to story hour with her,” she said. “It's been an important thing for our kids.”
Every morning, his mother takes out a stack of about 8 to 10 books to show Will what they will read for the day. Books they do not get to are read at bedtime.A majority of the time, he reads with his mother, Will said, which is his favorite part.“Sometimes I just look at the pages,” he said.When he reads, Will recognizes the word “will” because it is his name, he said.On the floor or couch with his shoes off is the way Will enjoys a good book, he said. He even perches on top of the couch.“I feel good,” he said about finishing a book.“Wacky Wednesday” written by Dr. Seuss as Theo. LeSieg is his favorite book.“It's all wacky, but not in our town,” he said.At home, Will keeps books on his shelf or the floor, he said.Those books include “Llama Llama Red Pajama” when Will went through an Anna Dewdney phase and books he can recite the words to, including “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” written by Eric Carle and “The Cat in the Hat” written by Theodor Geisel under his pen name Dr. Seuss.The quest to 100 books was hard and easy, he said.“The easy part was sitting and relaxing,” he said. “The hard part was I couldn't lay still.”Will also reads at the library's weekly Story Time.“I think people think their kids will be too loud or too rambunctious, but they're not,” Pyda said about introducing children to the library.Newborns, infants and toddlers connect and learn vocabulary as they listen to books, Frampton said.“They learn so much — words, sentence structure, rhyming — so many different aspects that come from reading a book or having a book read to you,” she said. “Also the connection that comes when a parent and child read a book together.”Although bedtime stories are a great addition to a child's routine, teach them books can be read at any time of the day, Frampton said.Find books with bright colors for younger readers, she recommended. When children get older, move to picture books, she said.“Find the child's interest and run with it,” she said.There are different ways, such as singing songs, that children can learn reading skills.“The older children get they'll start recognizing some words more frequently used,” she said. Use high-frequency word books because they include the most commonly used sight words in printed text.Parents can also use the “1,000 Books Before Kindergarten” phone application to track books on their phone, Frampton said.“Holds parents and children accountable for how much they are reading,” she said. “It's so important because this age is when they learn the easiest ... If they get that basis before school, it will help them so much in the future.”Pyda and Will said they will read 1,000 books by the time Will starts kindergarten next fall.“I hope he likes to read when he's older,” she said. “I'm a reader and I hope he gets a love of books and reading from it.”
Here are several books recommended by the 1,000 Books Foundation. Find the full book list at 1000booksbeforekindergarten.org/wp-content/uploads/books-your-child-should-hear-before-kindergarten.pdf:- Alborough, Jez: “Where's My Teddy?”- Aranton, John-Ruben M., Jr.: “What Treat Can Ruben Eat?”- Asch, Frank: “Happy Birthday, Moon”- Ballock-Dixon, Saige J.: “Chilean Mines”- Bang, Molly: “Ten, Nine, Eight”- Barrett, Judi: “Animals Should Definitely Not Wear Clothing”- Barton, Byron: “The Three Bears”- Bauer, Marion: “How Do I Love You?”- Becker, Bonny: “A Visitor for Bear”- Bergen, Lara: “Dora's Sleepover”- Bemelmans, Ludwig: “Madeline”SOURCE: 1000 Books Foundation
Here are several area libraries with “1,000 Books Before Kindergarten” programs:- Butler County Federated Library System, 218 N. McKean St., 724-283-1880- Butler Area Public Library, 218 N. McKean St., 724-287-1715- Evans City Public Library, 204 S. Jackson St., 724-538-8695- Prospect Community Library, 357 Main St., 724-865-9718- Saxonburg Area Library, 240 W. Main St., 724-352-4810- Zelienople Public Library, 227 S. High St., 724-452-9330SOURCE: 1000 Books Foundation
WHAT: Story TimeWHEN: 10:15 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. TuesdaysAGES: Range from newborns to 5-year-oldsWHERE: Slippery Rock Community Library, 465 N. Main St., Slippery Rock
