Research shows that 4-year-olds who have access to books — as well as adults who take the time to read to them — will be much more likely to be ready to read when they start kindergarten.
Children in low-income families tend to have fewer books in their homes and are exposed to 30 million fewer words before the age of 4 than their higher-income peers.
One Book Colorado aims to close this vocabulary gap and foster a culture of reading by getting a book into the home of every 4-year-old Coloradan.
A child must first learn how to read before he or she can read to learn. Working with early childhood advocates, educators, and business and community leaders, the state introduced Colorado Reads: Early Literacy Initiative in 2012, an effort to help ensure all Colorado children are reading at grade level by the third grade.
One Book Colorado is just one of the many community-based partnerships inspired by this movement to help ensure every child is school-ready on their first day of kindergarten.
Since 2012, One Book Colorado has annually given away over 75,000 copies of the same book through public libraries and Denver Preschool Program classrooms. The tradition continues this year with a new title...
If you have a child who was, is, or will be 4 years old in 2020, drop by the Children's Section of any Douglas County Libraries location through October 25th to pick up your child's free book — while supplies last. Books are available in English and Spanish.
From the Publisher: In this adaptation of the Little Red Hen fable, Ruby wants to build a fort, but her three brothers refuse to help, so when the fort is finished Ruby will not let them join her — until the boys come up with a few embellishments for the fort like a mailbox, a garden, and a fresh coat of paint.
The other One Book 4 Colorado books to date are:
- 2012: Maybe a Bear Ate It! by Robie Harris, illustrated by Michael Emberely
- 2013: Duck on a Bike by David Shannon
- 2014: Grumpy Bird by Jeremy Tankard
- 2015: How Do Dinosaurs Get Well Soon? by Jane Yolen and Mark Teague
- 2016: Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae
- 2017: Mouse Mess by Linnea Riley
- 2018: Groovy Joe: Dance Party Countdown by Eric Litwin
- 2019: Penguinaut by Marcie Colleen
