Early Literacy

Parents are children’s first and best teachers. Help your child enter kindergarten ready to read. Strong reading skills form the basis of learning in all subjects and Lakewood Public Library provides the support you need to help your child to be ready to read. We invite you to explore Lakewood Public Library and all of the paths that you and your child can take to be ready for school.

Independent Reading

Independent reading fosters the love of books and reading by providing a bonding opportunity between parent and child. The Library’s Beginner Reader book collection consists of a wide range of titles for our newest readers.

1,000 Books Before Kindergarten – Help your child, age birth to five years old, enter kindergarten ready to read. Author Mem Fox, in her book Reading Magic, states “Experts tell us that children need to hear one thousand stories read aloud before they begin to read for themselves.” Three books per day for one year add up to 1,095 books!
Register for the program online or by visiting Lakewood Public Library. Registered participants receive a folder, bookmark and first reading log upon registration. Read together and write the titles of the books you read on your reading log. Bring your reading log to the Library every time you read 100 books to get a new reading log, record your progress, stamp your reading log, and build your caterpillar on the cover of your folder. Upon completion of 1,000 books children will receive a certificate of completion and a Lakewood Public Library book bag.

Digital Tools

The Library’s website provides access to several reading resources for you and your child to use in the Library or at home including TumbleBooks and TumbleMath.

TumbleBooks – Animated, talking picture books teach kids the joy of reading. TumbleBooks adds music, narration, games, puzzles, quizzes and movement to classic fiction and nonfiction titles to create a new book experience that children can read or have read to them. Search books by grade level, Lexile level or Accelerated Reader level. Explore the Common Core Portal and even create your own playlist.

TumbleMath – TumbleMath is a comprehensive collection of animated, talking math story books and nonfiction math books available in the TumbleBook format. They align with the Common Core math standards and every title includes practice quizzes. Books can be searched by concept and Common Core standard.

Day by Day Ohio
Parents and caregivers can use the Day By Day Ohio Family Literacy Calendar to support early literacy skills. With a perpetual calendar featuring songs, activities, book suggestions and videos, Day By Day Ohio helps young children get ready for school.

Virtual Story Times

Engage young children by listening to local authors read their pictures books.

In-Person Programs

Tail Waggin’ Tutors – With Tail Waggin’ Tutors, children are introduced to the wonderful, magical world of books in a positive and unique way. Children who are experiencing difficulty reading or children who want to practice their reading skills experience increased confidence when they bond with a dog over a shared story. Kids can bone up on their reading skills by reading to a very special canine, certified by Therapy Dogs International to be gentle, patient and a good listener. For school-age children. Selected Saturdays from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Main Library Multipurpose Room.

In addition, Ohio Ready to Read and 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten provide tips for parents to help with early literacy development.

Youth