1,000 Books: More than Just a Reading Challenge

Abstract

Enter the bustling Lodewick Children’s Library at the Ridgefield Library in Ridgefield, CT, and you will notice a few things at once—a colorfully decorated service desk, a large freshwater fish tank, my office window displaying hundreds of little toys and baubles, and a whole lot of red bags.

The red bags are our very popular and highly circulating 1,000 Books before Kindergarten (1KBBK) Collection. This is Ridgefield Library’s unique physical collection of picture book titles that accompany the challenge. This collection consists of one hundred red totes, each containing ten curated books surrounding a theme. Each tote is accompanied by an extension activity, nursery rhyme or poem, tips for reading with children, a breakdown of the anatomy of a picture book and how to engage young readers in exploring the art.