Photo credits: www.roadtrafficsigns.com
by Esther Jantzen, guest poster
One great place in every community is the Children’s Section of the public library. Whether you have been to the library many times or are making your first visit, you can find treasures there! Take a bag to carry home those treasures, the books you want to borrow. If you or your children don’t have library cards, stop at the Information Desk and get a card.
Here’s what to look for. Choose the ones that fit the age and interests of your child:
1) Look at the library walls for posters and pictures. Let your child find all those with animals.
2) Look at the book displays or showcases together. Find one thing that surprises you.
3) Find the section with picture books. Can you find a book by Richard Scarry there? Clue: Using the alphabet to guide you, find the section where the authors’ names begin with “S.”
4) Find the section with Easy Readers. Pick a book that you would like to read together with your family. Take it with you to the check out desk. Or sit right there and read it together.
5) Find the Junior Fiction section. See if you can find a book by Beverly Cleary, E. B. White, or Lulu Delacre. Or find one by a favorite author of yours.
6) Look for the section with Foreign Language books. How many languages do you see represented there? Do you know anyone who speaks those languages?
7) With your child, find out if your library has a story hour when someone reads to kids .
8) Go to the computer table and see if you can find out how many books by Dr. Seuss the library has. Ask the librarian if you need help to do this.
9) Find the non-fiction section. Can you find a book about something that interests you?
10) Ask the librarian for the library schedule or calendar of special events.
Look at all the things you can do before you even check out the books!
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Esther Jantzen, Ed.D, is a mother, an educator and the author of Plus It! How to Easily Turn Everyday Activities into Learning Adventures for Kids available at www.plusitbook.com and the Way to Go! Family Learning Journal available through www.jantzenbooks.com
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