Some, like “The Lion and the Mouse” or “The Tale of Peter Rabbit,” are classic fables over a century old.
Others are midcentury standards like “Green Eggs and Ham.” Still others, like “Even Superheroes Have Bad Days” and “This Book Just Ate My Dog,” were penned only a decade or so ago.
But whether modern or traditional, the 100 books the kindergarten classes “read” this year were chosen as among the best to teach early literacy. For their effort, the students got to choose a “stuffie,” a stuffed animal that was based off a character from one of the books.
The program was sponsored by the Waseca-Le Sueur Regional Library System.
“We hope our community falls in love with these books like we have,” said Stacy Lienemann, Director of Waseca-Le Sueur Regional Library System. “Reading picture books with a child is a creative, bonding experience for everyone involved. It also is critical for a child’s future success.”
Lynn Selly, Le Center branch supervisor for the Waseca-Le Sueur Regional Library System was on hand on Tuesday to give out the stuffies. The 100 books took hold as students had no problem telling Selly which was their favorite.
Early literacy is everything that children know about reading and writing before they can read or write. Named the “Romp 100,” the 100 books are effective in preparing kids to read by helping them hear the sounds in words, learn letters, build their vocabulary, describe things and tell stories. They teach kids how books function, how to follow words on a page and how to enjoy reading. As kindergartners, they know how to read some words and short sentences.
The books feature a wide range of stories, from laugh-out-loud scenarios to bedtime stories, from exploring emotions to learning how to navigate a child’s world. Some of the books the kindergarten classrooms already had in their libraries while others the kindergarten teachers borrowed from the library system.
Selly said the program can be followed outside of school. Anyone who “reads” the 100 books gets a stuffie, whether done in a daycare or with parents or grandparents, for example. All the books on the list are stocked in all nine of the library system’s libraries. A state grant funded the program.
For more on the Romp 100, visit a blog about the program on the Waseca-Le Sueur Regional Library System website. Note: Some of the information for this story was taken from there.
Above: Lynn Selly, Le Center branch supervisor for the Waseca-Le Sueur Regional Library System has students in Karin Miller’s class point out their favorite book among the 100 they read.
