1000 Books Before Kindergarten

1000 Books Before Kindergarten is a free program that encourages you to read 1,000 books with your child before he or she enters 5 year old Kindergarten – a goal experts say will help children learn to read for themselves.  

Beanstack will no longer be available as of May 2025. If you use Beanstack, please stop into the library to get information about logging with paper.

1,000 books sounds like a lot, but it's easier to accomplish than you think! If you read only one book at bedtime every night for three years, you will have read 1,095 books! If you read three books a day, you'll read 1,095 books in only one year! Even if you don't reach the 1,000-book mark before your child enters kindergarten, you will still have given your child an important advantage: reading together expands children's vocabulary and language skills, and develops essential pre-reading skills. 

Plymouth Public Library offers two ways for your family to record your reading:

• Pick up reading logs at the library’s service desk
• Print your own logs from home using the PDF files below

Here are the easy steps for participation:

1. Register at the children's service desk at the Plymouth Public Library. You'll receive a reading log for the first 100 books and you'll choose a flower to add to our bulletin board!
2. Read together. It's that easy!
3. Fill in a circle on your log sheet for each book that you read. If you read a book more than once, you can record it each time. Books read at library storytime, daycare, or by others to your child also count! 
4. For every 100 books that you finish, bring your sheet to the library to record your progress. You'll receive the next reading log along with a special sticker to add to your child's flower on our bulletin board.

Bonus- there are extra rewards to earn along the way! 

• After 100 books: receive a free board book
• After 500 books: receive a free sticker book
• After 1000 books: receive a free picture book

This club has no end date expect your child's entrace to 5K, so don't feel rushed— just enjoy the experience! Take every chance that you have to read with your children, tell and talk about stories, say nursery rhymes, and sing songs. When your child begins kindergarten, they will be ready for school, and you both will have shared many special moments together.

Happy reading!