Why read books with babies & toddlers?

• Bonding Time 
• Develops Vocabulary 
• Prepares them for success with reading etc. 

How can we help our children become readers?

1. Have books available- in all rooms in your house, car, purse, high chair, stroller- wherever you are! Switch out books, rotate them and keep new ones coming in as their interests and levels change. 
2. Face books out on the shelf so they can see the fun covers rather than just the book spines. 
3. Let them see you reading. It is good for them to see that you do not think you know everything and are happy to look things up in books to learn. 
4. Involve them in the story. Talk about the pictures, let them turn the page, ask what they think will happen next. This helps them develop listening skills and cause and effect thinking. 
5. Make reading time special. Have a comfy spot for book reading, use different voices when you read, even try wrapping a book and giving it as a present for excitement. 

Stages of books to provide:

• Books they can read/hold- examples: interactive tactile touchy feel book or a board book with tabs. 
• Rounded corner books you read to them- examples: Big & Little or a story book. 
• Higher level books as their listening ability is more advanced than their reading level. 
• Fiction books- examples: fairy tales. Building imagination, thinking outside the box, fun & creative. 
• Non-fiction books- example: What's Happening on the Farm. Giving real information, engages mind as brain cells are forming, helps them 'see' the world differently. 
• Rhyming books- example: Nursery Rhymes. Builds pre-reading skills makes learning to read easier, involves them (let them say the rhyming word) and memorize some to say while in the car/walking/riding etc. 
• Dual Reader books- example: two levels of the same story. The top is a basic sentence with the bottom sentences going deeper into the details of the picture. You can read only the top and as attention span increases you can read the details. Then, your child can start reading the top line and you can read the details etc.

We have some great books to get children reading!

See our books now...

Storytime at the library!

Attending storytime is a wonderful way to introduce your children to the library as well as helping them learn early literacy and social skills which prepare them for reading and kindergarten. Preschool storytimes are for children ages three and up. Also offered are programs inJacksonCounty for pre-walking babies and wobblers (children who are walking but not yet ready for preschool storytime).

Jackson County 

Applegate  541-846-7349
Tuesdays 4pm

Ashland 541-774-6995
Monday 6:30pm, Tuesday 11:30am, Wednesday 10:30am

Butte Falls  541-865-3511
Second Tuesday of each month 10:30am

Central Point 541-664-3228
Monday 11:30am

 Eagle Point 541-826-3313
Wednesday 11:00am

Gold Hill 541-855-1994
Wednesday 3:00pm

Jacksonville 541-899-1665
Wednesday 11:00am

Medford  541-774-8678
Monday 6:00pm, Wednesday 11:30am

Phoenix  541-535-7090
Thursday 11:00am

Prospect 541-560-3668
Wednesday 10:30am

Rogue River 541-864-8850
Friday 10:30am

Ruch 541-899-7438
Tuesday 11:30am

Shady Cove 541-878-2270
Friday 10:30am

Talent 541-535-4163
Tuesday 10:30am

White City 541-864-8880
Tuesday 10:30am

Dial a Story: 541-774-6439

Josephine County

Cave Junction 541-592-4778
3^rd Saturday at1pm

Grants Pass 541-476-0571
Tuesday 3:00pm, Wednesday 11:15am, Tuesday K-9 Buddies 4:00pm

Williams 541-846-7020

Wolf Creek 541-866-2606
3^rd Tuesday 2:45pm