Kickstart your little learner's reading journey with a variety of resources and opportunities for growth at your Cromaine Library! Whether you're looking for kits that encourage learning through play, books that enhance a story with read-aloud features, or resources to help dyslexic or struggling readers, you're sure to find the reading materials you need at Cromaine. Learn about your Library's many offerings for early literacy, including the Early Literacy collection, Easy Reader Books, Wonderbooks, Early Literacy Kits, Literacy programs, and other initiatives that encourage learning for curious little minds.
Cromaine's Literacy Collection
Learning to read is no easy task-- that's why Cromaine Library has developed a collection to help new and struggling readers and their caregivers by providing resources to help make reading more fun and accessible for all. Each shelf in the Literacy Collection contains a different type of literacy resource that is color coded by type:
- Red materials are Phonics Books.
Phonics uses the relationships between letters and sounds to help kids learn to read. Each Phonics Book focuses on a particular sound (phoneme), and helps children recognize and link the sound to its corresponding letter(s). - Yellow materials are Decodable Books.
Decodable Books build upon phonics skills by focusing on a particular sound or phoneme, and repeating it over and over within a fun storyline. These books help kids practice recognizing and pronouncing that same sound in different words. The words in these books are generally easy to break down phonetically. - Green materials are Dyslexia Books.
These materials focus on supporting kids with dyslexia and providing resources that can help them learn to read. The green materials include books about dyslexia, advocating for and helping kids with dyslexia, and books written in dyslexia-friendly fonts. - Blue materials are Parent/Teacher Resources.
Blue materials are resources that help parents and teachers set their readers up for success, identify and troubleshoot reading difficulties, and encourage a love of reading. - Purple Materials are Literacy Helpers.
Literacy Helpers are materials that can offer other tools to help kids on their literacy journey. You can find resources to help with sight word recognition, general literacy tips, and more!
Easy Reader Books
The Easy Reader collection offers exciting stories and educational non-fiction books for early readers, offering books for those just learning how to read and increasing in difficulty for those who are almost ready for early chapter books. The spines are coded with colored stickers to guide little learners and their caregivers to find books at the perfect level for them:
- Red stickers indicate the easiest reading level.
These books are best for kids who are just learning how to read. They include pictures and short sentences, with just a few words on each page. - Yellow stickers indicate a more challenging reading level.
These books introduce compound words and have more complex sentences than red books, but no more than two sentences on each page. Repetitive words and picture clues are used to guide the reader. - Green stickers are the most challenging reading level before chapter books.
These books are for kids who are almost ready for early chapter books. They feature more complex words, not as many picture clues, and longer sentences and paragraphs.
Wonderbooks
Wonderbooks are a great way to explore early reading with a read-aloud feature! These picture books & easy readers feature a media player attached to the inside front cover of the book, allowing the reader to listen to the book while following along with the pictures. They also have a conversation mode, which allows the grownup and little to engage in conversation around the book and its themes. Wonderbooks are recharged when they are returned to the Library; the batteries can last for over one hundred listens!
Early Literacy Kits
Bring Storytime home with you, with Early Literacy kits! These fun kits include books, activities, and educational toys for exploring the five early literacy practices featured in Cromaine Library Storytimes: reading, singing, talking, writing, and playing. These practices better prepare your child to enter school ready to learn to read! Some of the Early Literacy Kits available now include the Music Time kit, the ABCs kit, the Colors kit, and more. See all of the Early literacy Kits on our Library of Things online catalog, or stop by the Youth department to explore Literacy Kits!
Storytimes and Programs for Blooming Readers
We invite our littlest patrons, and their special adults, to solidify their literacy skills through Storytimes and other programs at Cromaine! Storytimes aren’t just entertaining: they’re educational, and help your child develop a love of reading. Storytime sessions provide early learning skills that help children succeed in school and in life. Plus, adults also learn tips and tricks to continue teaching at home.
Storytimes invite little learners to enjoy a variety of developmentally-appropriate stories, songs, rhymes, and movement activities while building early literacy skills. Sessions conclude with a single extension activity geared towards growing their fine motor skills. Toddler Time is geared towards two-year-olds, and Preschool Storytime is a good fit for 3-5 year olds. Family Storytimes offer space for the entire family to grow and learn, and Baby Storytimes set the foundation for reading and learning for those aged 6-23 months.
Plus, preschoolers are invited to attend our Kindergarten Readiness program for 4 and 5-year-olds and their grownups! This fun and engaging storytime introduces skills that help prepare little learners for kindergarten. Learn by play as we practice new hands-on activities each month! See our next scheduled Get Ready for Kindergarten program on the online calendar.
Reading Initiatives at Cromaine
Looking for even more reading opportunities? Explore these exciting activities as your little reader blooms!
- 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten is a fun and free way to start your child on the path to become a successful reader!
Did you know that learning to read begins long before a child starts Kindergarten? Reading aloud to children ages 0 to 5 helps them build the vocabulary and language skills they need when they enter school. Sharing books with your children is a great way to build those skills, develop a love of reading, and spend quality time with your child-- and we challenge you to read 1,000 books with your little one before kindergarten! Get the details about this fun, move-at-your-own-pace contest here. - The Winter Reading Challenge encourages reading for all ages and abilities!
Snuggle up with a good book this winter! Readers of all ages are invited to complete the reading activities for their age group by February 28, to earn an entry into the grand prize drawing to win fun prizes! Learn more about this year's Winter Reading Challenge, and sign up to participate, here.
As always, our Cromaine Librarians are happy to help you find exactly what you need, and to answer questions about our literacy initiatives! Stop in during open hours to learn more about the many materials and programs available for supporting early literacy.
Happy reading, Hartland!