1,000 Books Before Kindergarten

Encouraging early literacy!

Did you know that reading to your child is one of the most powerful ways to boost his or her brain power? Research shows that the simple and enjoyable act of sharing books helps your child learn pre-reading skills such as understanding the sounds letters make, developing a bigger vocabulary, and building background knowledge – all important skills that help prepare your child for learning to read and entering Kindergarten.

Hampton Falls Free Library’s 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten program is a fun and free way to start your child on the path to success! Any child ages birth to five years can participate. Read whatever you and your child enjoy and set your own pace. The program ends when your child enters Kindergarten. Just follow these steps:

  • Register: Sign up with Miss Leah at the Children’s Desk. Pick up program materials at the Library.  Registration is ongoing!
  • Track Your Reading: Color, sticker, or stamp a shape on your reading record for each book you read with your child. There is space to write your favorites on the back of each 100-book log.
  • Every Book Counts: Even if your child wants to hear the same book again and again, you can count it each time. You can also count the books your child hears in story time, in daycare or preschool, or with a friend or family member, as long as your child listens  to the entire book.
  • 100-Book Milestones: Each time you read 100 books, bring your reading record to the library to receive a sticker, and post your child’s progress on our 1,000 Books Wall. Take home a new reading record for your next 100 books.
  • 1,000 Books: You did it! Come celebrate at the library! With your permission, we will congratulate your child on our outdoor sign. Choose a new book to dedicate to the Library, and bring home a special prize!
  • Keep on Reading: Don’t stop at 1,000! Keep on reading together; there’s more learning ahead!

Singing songs, saying rhymes, telling stories, and playing with your child are all great ways to build their literacy skills. Visit the library often for storytime and other free programs that are fun and educational for your little one and to find great books to share with your child.
 
One thousand books may seem like a lot, but if you read just one book a night, you’ll meet your goal in less than 3 years. If you read three books a night, you could reach your goal in just one year! Ask our friendly staff for recommendations, or refer to the suggested reading list included in your folder!
 
Thank you to the Friends of the Hampton Falls Free Library for sponsoring this program!

Favorite Books

As recommended by each of our 1,000 Book finishers!

  • Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth by Oliver Jeffers (Viola, February 2020)
  • A Book for Escargot by Dashka Slater (Aurora, March 2020)
  • Ladybug Girl at the Beach by David Soman and Jacky Davis (Mckenzie, May 2020)
  • Through Your Eyes by Ainsley Earhardt (Brielle, May 2020)
  • Pete the Cat and the Magic Sunglasses by James Dean (Bodhi, May 2020)
  • Fancy Nancy: Oodles of Kittens by Jane O’Connor (Quinn, May 2020)
  • Red is Best by Kathy Stinson (Elin, June 2020)
  • Potato Pants by Laurie Keller (Ozzi, June 2020)
  • Memorial Bridge Cat by Crystal Ward Kent (Enzo, June 2020)
  • Urgency Emergency: Itsy Bitsy Spider by Dosh Archer (Camilla, June 2020)
  • Learning to Ski with Mr. Magee by Chris Van Dusen (Marina, September 2020)
  • Car, Car, Truck, Jeep by Katrina Charman (Callan, April 2021)
  • Construction Site: Road Crew, Coming Through! by Sherri Duskey Rinker (Nash, September 2021)
  • Fancy Nancy: Saturday Night Sleepover by Jane O’Connor (Emmy, October 2021)
  • Monsters in the Briny by Lynn Becker (Kellen, July 2022)
  • The Little Book of Woodland Bird Sounds by Andrea Pinnington (Leo, July 2022)
  • The Pigeon Will Ride the Rollercoaster by Mo Willems (Olympia, August 2022)
  • Pete the Cat Plays Hide-and-Seek by James Dean (Liam, August 2022)
  • Noodle and the No Bones Day by Jonathan Graziano (Jace, September 2022)
  • Mr. Brown’s Bad Day by Lou Peacock (Charlie, April 2023)

1,000 Books Before Kindergarten

At Home Edition

New to the 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten? Read up on the program in our Welcome Letter, and feel free to email Miss Leah if you have any questions!

Already started? Print your next checklist from here!

101 Books to Read with your Child

Some Recommendations to Get You Started

Printable Version (2 pages)

  • Each Peach Pear Plum – Ahlberg
  • Miss Nelson Is Missing – Allard
  • Giraffes Can’t Dance – Andreae
  • Please Mr. Panda – Antony
  • Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs – Barrett
  • A Visitor for Bear – Becker
  • Madeline – Bemelmans
  • The Berenstain Bears and Too Much TV – Berenstain
  • Hippos Go Berserk – Boynton
  • Moo, Baa, La La La – Boynton
  • Annie and the Wild Animals – Brett
  • The Mitten – Brett
  • Clifford the Big Red Dog – Bridwell
  • Goodnight Moon – Brown
  • The Runaway Bunny – Brown
  • The Little House – Burton
  • Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel – Burton
  • Stellaluna – Cannon
  • The Very Hungry Caterpillar – Carle
  • Miss Rumphius – Cooney
  • Dancing Feet – Craig
  • Click, Clack, Moo: Cows that Type – Cronin
  • I Took the Moon for a Walk – Curtis
  • The Day the Crayons Quit – Daywalt
  • Last Stop on Market Street – De La Pena
  • Jamberry – Deegan
  • Strega Nona – dePaola
  • Llama Llama Red Pajama – Dewdney
  • The Pout-Pout Fish – Diesen
  • The Gruffalo – Donaldson
  • Are You My Mother? – Eastman
  • A Hat for Mrs. Goldman – Edwards
  • Olivia – Falconer
  • Bark, George! – Feiffer
  • Don’t Worry Bear – Foley
  • Corduroy – Freeman
  • Orange Pear Apple Bear – Gravett
  • Chrysanthemum – Henkes
  • Duck and Goose – Hills
  • Bread and Jam for Frances – Hoban
  • Harold and the Purple Crayon – Johnson
  • The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore – Joyce
  • The Hello, Goodbye Window – Juster
  • The Snowy Day – Keats
  • The Mysterious Tadpole – Kellogg
  • I Want My Hat Back – Klassen
  • The Story of Ferdinand – Leaf
  • Frederick – Lionni
  • Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons – Litwin
  • Frog and Toad are Friends – Lobel
  • Otis – Long
  • Have Fun, Molly Lou Melon – Lovell
  • The Poky Little Puppy – Lowrey
  • Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? – Martin
  • Chicka Chicka Boom Boom – Martin
  • Tap the Magic Tree – Matheson
  • Guess How Much I Love You – McBratney
  • Blueberries for Sal – McCloskey
  • Make Way for Ducklings – McCloskey
  • Little Bear – Minarik
  • The Night Before Christmas – Moore
  • Thank You, Omu – Mora
  • The Paper Bag Princess – Munsch
  • If You Give a Mouse a Cookie – Numeroff
  • Amelia Bedelia – Parish
  • The Kissing Hand – Penn
  • The Rainbow Fish – Pfister
  • The Lion and The Mouse – Pinkney
  • The Little Engine That Could – Piper
  • Not a Box – Portis
  • The Tale of Peter Rabbit – Potter
  • Good Night, Gorilla – Rathmann
  • Curious George – Rey
  • The Dot – Reynolds
  • Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site – Rinker
  • We’re Going on a Bear Hunt – Rosen
  • Dragons Love Tacos – Rubin
  • Skippyjon Jones – Schachner
  • Little Blue Truck – Schertle
  • Where the Wild Things Are – Sendak
  • The Cat in the Hat – Seuss
  • Green Eggs and Ham – Seuss
  • Horton Hears a Who – Seuss
  • A Bad Case of Stripes – Shannon
  • Sheep in a Jeep – Shaw
  • Caps for Sale – Slobodkina
  • Grandpa Green – Smith
  • A Sick Day for Amos McGee – Stead
  • Sylvester and the Magic Pebble – Steig
  • The Monster at the End of this Book – Stone
  • Press Here – Tullet
  • The Polar Express – van Allsburg
  • Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day – Viorst
  • Knuffle Bunny – Willems
  • Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus – Willems
  • A Chair for my Mother – Williams
  • Bear Snores On – Wilson
  • How Do Dinosaurs Eat their Food? – Yolen
  • Found – Yoon
  • Harry the Dirty Dog – Zion