GREENFIELD — Author Stephen King is credited with writing, “Books are a uniquely portable magic.”
If this is true, the Friends of the Greenfield Public Library is working to create as many little magicians as possible.
The nonprofit support group launched “1000 Books Before Kindergarten” about a year ago in an attempt to increase the amount of time parents and guardians read to their children. The literacy program has been deemed a success by its organizers, and a first-anniversary celebration is slated for Feb. 9 at the library.
Jeremiah and Amanda Rood signed up with their daughter, Evangeline “Evie” Rood, who is now 2½. Jeremiah said he and his wife read Evie seven or eight books each day starting in February, and the family reached 1,000 by early summer. He explained books for children that age are very short, and the program allows you to read the same book as many times as you would like in your quest to reach 1,000.
“I think it’s a great program and it shows the power of reading together,” Jeremiah said. “Books become your friend.”
He said he typically reads Evie three or four books at bedtime, and Amanda usually reads about three at nap times. They also read to their daughter at other times during the day.
Jeremiah, who is a library assistant at the Greenfield Public Library, said the experiment has already paid dividends — Evie now has an expanded vocabulary and speaks in complete sentences. He said Amanda reminded their daughter the other day that she has to follow rules, and Evie responded by proclaiming, “I just want to be free.”
“She’s a little bit of a philospher,” said proud papa Jeremiah, who lives with his family in Montague. He said Evie’s current favorite book is, fittingly, Lora Koehler’s “The Little Snowplow.”
Andrew Paterno said he and his wife Mary moved to Greenfield from Baltimore in 2012, and the town library was the first thing they looked for when they got here. Their daughter, Cecily, was born in 2013 and became a little, tiny patron of the institution. Andrew and Mary heard about “1000 Books Before Kindergarten” last year and decided to sign up, because Cecily was to start kindergarten in September.
“We love reading books to her,” Andrew said. “This was a new challenge for us to jump on board.”
He said they read Cecily between six and eight books from February to September, tracking their progress on an app to reach 1,000. Cecily, who is now 5½, enjoys books about animals and dancing. She is also starting to read on her own.
“She prefers to hear the sound of her own voice now … which is great,” Andrew said, adding that his daughter’s favorites are “The Wizard of Oz” and books about “Winnie the Pooh.”
The Terounzo family (Lara, Mike and son Killian) and the O’Neil family (Kate, Dave and son Sawyer) have also reached the 1,000-book milestone.
The Feb. 9 celebration, scheduled for 10 to 11 a.m., is expected to feature two story times (by Sally Ahearn and Children’s Librarian Kay Lyons), a free book for each child and cupcakes. New people are welcome to sign up and receive the free bag for books and information packet before or after the event. Books are purchased with money from the Janice Bohonowicz Memorial Fund.
Ellen Berson of the Friends of the Greenfield Public Library said 125 families participate in the “1000 Books” program.
Leyden residents Abbi and Brannon Pratt attended the program’s launch party last year, after learning about it via either a flier or email. Abbi said the program has been a positive experience for her family, and she recommends it for others. She said her 4-year-old daughter’s favorite books are written by Michelle Nelson-Schmidt.
Lyons, who has been the children’s librarian for 25 years, said libraries across the country have “1000 Books Before Kindergarten” programs. According to the Friends of the Greenfield Public Library’s website, data from the National Education Association indicates 26 percent of children who were read to three or four times a week by a family member recognized all letters of the alphabet, and the ability for a child to recognize the alphabet drops to 14 percent for children who were read to less frequently.
Lyons said she has seen first-hand the benefits of reading to children — Lara Terounzo was in her story times in the 1990s and now brings her own child to them.