1,000 Books Before Kindergarten

1,000 Books Before Kindergarten is a national initiative that focuses on fostering strong early literacy skills in children, beginning at birth, by encouraging caregivers to read one thousand books to their child by the time they enter kindergarten. This challenge is for caregivers of early learners, ages birth to six, who are Orange County residents.

Getting Started:

Caregivers may participate virtually by registering for the OCLS 1000 Books Before Kindergarten challenge today.

Paper Reading Tracker:

They may also track their reading progress using a printable, paper reading tracker. Please turn in the completed reading trackers to an OCLS staff member at any OCLS Branch.

Rules:

Prizes will be mailed to the address associated with the customer’s library card.

*Rewards are only provided to OCLS juvenile cardholders (0–6 years) with a regular, property owner or fee card in good standing. Limit one reward per badge, per person, while supplies last. The current prize selection contains items donated by The Walt Disney Company and funded by an award from the Mark Cuban Foundation.

Picture Books that Staff Love

That’s not my name! / Anoosha Syed.

Syed, Anoosha, author, illustrator.

The universe and you / written by Suzanne Slade illustrated by Stephanie Fizer Coleman.

Slade, Suzanne, author.

Pete the cat : rocking in my school shoes / story by Eric Litwin (aka Mr. Eric) art by James Dean.

Litwin, Eric.

Cover art for Spidey and his amazing friends. Super hero hiccups / adapted by Steve Behling based on the episode written by Ken Kristensen illustrated by Premise Entertainment.

Spidey and his amazing friends. Super hero hiccups / adapted by Steve Behling based on the episode written by Ken Kristensen illustrated by Premise Entertainment.

Behling, Steve, author.

The sublime Ms. Stacks / by Robb Pearlman illustrated by Dani Jones.

Pearlman, Robb, author.

The big worry day / by K.A. Reynolds illustrated by Chloe Dominique.

Reynolds, K. A., author.

Thursday / by Ann Bonwill illustrated by Kayla Harren.

Bonwill, Ann, author.

If you come to Earth / by Sophie Blackall.

Blackall, Sophie, author, illustrator.

Farm [BOARD BOOK] / Becky Davies illustrated by Mei Stoyva.

Davies, Becky, author.

Dadaji’s paintbrush / Rashmi Sirdeshpande Ruchi Mhasane.

Sirdeshpande, Rashmi, author.

Sometimes I grumblesquinch / by Rachel Vail illustrated by Hyewon Yum.

Vail, Rachel, author.

Nature is an artist / by Jennifer Lavallee illustrations by Natalia Colombo.

Lavallee, Jennifer, author.

A visit to Grandad : an African ABC / Sade Fadipe illustrated by Shedrach Ayalomeh.

Fadipe, Sade, author.

Cover art for Something happened to my dad : a story about immigration and family separation / by Ann Hazzard

Something happened to my dad : a story about immigration and family separation / by Ann Hazzard, PhD, ABPP and Vivianne Aponte Rivera, MD illustrated by Gloria Félix.

Hazzard, Ann, author.

The little red caboose / story by Marian Potter pictures by Tibor Gergely.

Potter, Marian.

Such a good boy / by Marianna Coppo.

Coppo, Marianna, author, illustrator.

The land of Nod / Robert Louis Stevenson & Robert Hunter.

Stevenson, Robert Louis, 1850-1894, author.

I am the longest dog / by Avery Monsen.

Monsen, Avery, author, illustrator.

The phone booth in Mr. Hirota’s garden / Heather Smith illustrated by Rachel Wada.

Smith, Heather, 1968- author.

Through the North Pole snow / Polly Faber illustrated by Richard Jones.

Faber, Polly, author.

Cranky right now / by Julie Berry illustrated by Holly Hatam.

Berry, Julie, 1974- author.

Miss Hazeltine’s Home for Shy and Fearful Cats / by Alicia Potter illustrated by Birgitta Sif.

Potter, Alicia, author.

Turtle splash! countdown at the pond / by Cathryn Falwell.

Falwell, Cathryn.

Still this love goes on / by Buffy Sainte-Marie illustrated by Julie Flett.

Sainte-Marie, Buffy, author.

A child of books / Oliver Jeffers Sam Winston.

Jeffers, Oliver, author.

The balcony / Melissa Castrillón.

Castrillón, Melissa, author, illustrator.

Bonnie’s new old outfit / Madison Moore illustrated by Danielle Bennett.

Moore, Madison, 1997- author.

Dinos driving / Lynn Leitch illustrations by Scot Ritchie.

Leitch, Lynn, 1971- author.

The Night Gardener / by Terry Fan and Eric Fan.

Fan, Terry.

Kiki & Jax : the life-changing magic of friendship / Marie Kondo co-written and illustrated by Salina Yoon.

Kondō, Marie, author.

Give this book away! / written by Darren Farrell illustrated by Maya Tatsukawa.

Farrell, Darren, author.

A boy and his mirror / Marchánt Davis illustrated by Keturah A. Bobo.

Davis, Marchánt, author.

Cover art for Space [BOARD BOOK] / illustrations by Howard Gray & Katie Kear specialist consultant

Space [BOARD BOOK] / illustrations by Howard Gray & Katie Kear specialist consultant, Gemma Kay.

Priddy, Roger.

The perfume of memory / by Michelle Nikly illustrations by Jean Claverie

Nikly, Michelle.

The talk / Alicia D. Williams illustrated by Briana Mukodiri Uchendu.

Williams, Alicia, 1970- author.

Moo-moo, I love you! / Tom Lichtenheld Amy Krouse Rosenthal.

Lichtenheld, Tom, author, illustrator.

Phoenix gets greater / written by Marty Wilson-Trudeau with Phoenix Wilson illustrated by Megan Kyak-Monteith.

Wilson-Trudeau, Marty, author.

Love from Llama Llama / Anna Dewdney.

Dewdney, Anna, author, illustrator.

Llama unleashes the alpacalypse / Jonathan Stutzman illustrated by Heather Fox.

Stutzman, Jonathan, author.

Ruby and the itsy-bitsy icky bug / by Allison Wortche illustrated by Sally Walker.

Wortche, Allison, author.

I am famous / by Tara Luebbe and Becky Cattie pictures by Joanne Lew-Vriethoff.

Luebbe, Tara, author.

The world is a family / by Rosie Adams illustrated by Frances Ives.

Adams, Rosie, author.

Blurp’s book of manners / Cindy Derby.

Derby, Cindy, author, illustrator.

Things that go [BOARD BOOK] / illustrated by Anna Sûßbauer.

Süssbauer, Anna, 1979- illustrator.

Ten birds meet a monster / written and illustrated by Cybèle Young.

Young, Cybèle, 1972-

Plátanos go with everything / written by Lissette Norman illustrated by Sara Palacios.

Norman, Lissette, author.

Oona and the shark / words by Kelly DiPucchio pictures by Raissa Figueroa.

DiPucchio, Kelly, author.

You are getting sleepy [BOARD BOOK] / by Lori Alexander illustrated by Monica Mikai.

Alexander, Lori, author.

The new rooster / Rilla Alexander.

Alexander, Rilla, author, illustrator.

The pet potato / written by Josh Lacey illustrated by Momoko Abe.

Lacey, Josh, author.

Calm [BOARD BOOK] / Dr. Jillian Roberts.

Roberts, Jillian, 1971- author.

The lost library / Jess McGeachin.

McGeachin, Jess, author, illustrator.

The totally NOT wicked stepmother / by Samantha Berger illustrations by Neha Rawat.

Berger, Samantha, author.

What do you do with a chance? / written by Kobi Yamada illustrated by Mae Besom.

Yamada, Kobi, author.

Somewhere in the world right now / by Stacey Schuett.

Schuett, Stacey.

I want my hat back / Jon Klassen.

Klassen, J.

Little Red Riding Hood and the dragon / written by Ying Chang Compestine illustrated by Joy Ang.

Compestine, Ying Chang, author.

A unicorn, a dinosaur, and a shark walk into a book / by Jonathan Fenske.

Fenske, Jonathan, author, illustrator.

The catalogue of hugs / by Joshua David Stein and Augustus Heeren Stein art by Elizabeth Lilly.

Stein, Joshua David, author.

What to do with a stick / by Jane Yolen illustrated by Paolo Domeniconi.

Yolen, Jane, author.

Miss Spider’s tea party / by David Kirk.

Kirk, David, 1955-

The way champs play / Naomi Osaka illustrated by Kamala Nair.

Osaka, Naomi, 1997- author.

Sugar pie lullaby : the soul of Motown in a song of love / Carole Boston Weatherford pictures by Sawyer Cloud.

Weatherford, Carole Boston, 1956- author.

Love makes a garden grow / written and illustrated by Taeeun Yoo.

Yoo, Taeeun, author, illustrator.

We don’t lose our class goldfish / Ryan T. Higgins.

Higgins, Ryan T., author, illustrator.

Marlo / Christopher Browne.

Browne, Christopher, author, illustrator.

The loud librarian / written Jenna Beatrice illustrated by Erika Lynne Jones.

Beatrice, Jenna, author.

The tree and the river / Aaron Becker.

Becker, Aaron, 1974- author, illustrator.

My little thief / Augusten Burroughs illustrated by Bonnie Lui.

Burroughs, Augusten, author.

Dude! / word by Aaron Reynolds pictures by Dan Santat.

Reynolds, Aaron, 1970- author.

The little mermaid : make a splash / adapted by Ashley Franklin illustrated by Paul Kellam screenplay by David Magee.

Franklin, Ashley, author.

Ice cream face / Heidi Woodward Sheffield.

Sheffield, Heidi Woodward, author, illustrator.

Milk and juice : a recycling romance / Meredith Crandall Brown.

Brown, Meredith Crandall, author, illustrator.

Memoirs of a goldfish / Devin Scillian and illustrated by Tim Bowers.

Scillian, Devin.

The taming of Lola : a shrew story / by Ellen Weiss illustrated by Jerry Smath.

Weiss, Ellen, 1949-

The tide / by Clare Helen Welsh illustrated by Ashling Lindsay.

Welsh, Clare Helen, author.

How to catch a yeti / from the New York Times bestselling team Adam Wallace & Andy Elkerton.

Wallace, Adam, author.

Cover art for Please don't read this book! (Seriously don't

Please don’t read this book! (Seriously don’t, don’t, don’t) / written by Deanna Kizis illustrated by Sam Boughton.

Kizis, Deanna, author.

Most of the better natural things in the world / Dave Eggers & Angel Chang.

Eggers, Dave, author.

The duck never blinks / Alex Latimer.

Latimer, Alex, author, illustrator.

My self, your self / written and illustrated by Esmé Shapiro.

Shapiro, Esmé, 1992- author, illustrator.

You can’t be a pterodactyl! / written by James Breakwell illustrated by Sophie Corrigan.

Breakwell, James, author.

Here : I can be mindful / by Ally Condie illustrated by Jaime Kim.

Condie, Allyson Braithwaite, author.

Does a bulldozer have a butt? / written by Derick Wilder illustrated by K-Fai Steele.

Wilder, Derick, author.

Cover art for My three best friends and me

My three best friends and me, Zulay / Cari Best pictures by Vanessa Brantley-Newton.

Best, Cari, author.

The brand-new, never-used, perfect crayons / Leanne Hatch.

Hatch, Leanne, author, illustrator.

Puppy-cam / written by Margie Palatini illustrated by Dan Yaccarino.

Palatini, Margie, author.

Wepa : English & Spanish / J de la Vega.

De laVega, J., author, illustrator.

This is not my hat / Jon Klassen.

Klassen, J.

The doll in the hall and other scary stories / written by Max Brallier illustrated by Letizia Rubegni.

Brallier, Max, author.

Just for me / Jennifer Hansen Rolli

Rolli, Jennifer Hansen, author, illustrator.

Being brave [BOARD BOOK] / written by Cindy Jin illustrated by Ashley Dugan.

Jin, Cindy, author.

Creepy crayon! / Aaron Reynolds illustrated by Peter Brown.

Reynolds, Aaron, 1970- author.

Zen shorts / by Jon Muth illustrated by Jon Muth.

Muth, Jon J.

Upcoming Events

Sesame Street Storytime

Registration Required

Monday May 6 11:00am

Online (Virtual Room - Alafaya)

Event Categories: Storytime

Can you tell me how to get, how to get to Sesame Street? Let's make it a sunny day with a virtual storytime and craft celebrating our favorite friends. Recommended for ages 3-5.

Learn more>

Pajama Party

Registration Required

Monday May 6 7:00pm

Online (Virtual Room - Alafaya)

Event Categories: Storytime

Put on your pajamas and enjoy an interactive virtual storytime with book, songs, games, and a craft. Recommended for ages 3 - 5.

Learn more>

Countdown to Kindergarten

Counting at the Pond

Registration Required

Tuesday May 7 10:30am

Winter Garden Branch (Winter Garden - Program Area)

Event Categories: Arts & Crafting; Education & Learning

Count and quack your way to becoming a good reader through stories, rhymes and activities designed to help preschoolers develop vital skills to succeed in kindergarten. Ages 4-5.

Learn more>

More Early Learning Events >

NEW! LOTE4Kids: Storytime in Your Language

March 14, 2024April 3, 2024

LOTE4Kids (Languages Other Than English) is the newest language learning platform for Orange County Library System users! Explore a digital collection of picture books (eBooks and audiobooks) in a diverse […]

Preschool Fun: Art!

April 30, 2021June 18, 2022

Let’s read, sing, and make some art! These activities are based on Every Child Ready to Read, which helps our friends learn pre-reading skills. We’ll cover Reading, Writing, Talking, Singing […]

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1,000 Books Before Kindergarten

Getting Started:

Paper Reading Tracker:

Rules:

Picture Books that Staff Love

Upcoming Events

Sesame Street Storytime

Pajama Party

Countdown to Kindergarten

Beanstack

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