DUBOIS – Whether outside or inside, people must wear shoes to work. Are they all the same shoes? Find out “Whose Shoes?” are worn to jobs, with our activity-filled celebration of the inquisitive young child.
Through Pennsylvania One Book, libraries across Pennsylvania have celebrated the young child’s love of learning. This year’s program celebrates the diversity of careers in our community by looking at the one thing everyone wears to work…SHOES! Join the DuBois Public Library, Rep. Matt Gabler, firefighters, and other community members to discover “Whose Shoes?”. The program will be full of fun, learning, special memories, and snacks.
For the sixth consecutive year, Pennsylvania’s One Book, Every Young Child program will lead the way and highlight the importance of early literacy development in preschoolers ages 3 to 6. In its inaugural year, the One Book, Every Young Child program won the coveted, national John Cotton Dana Library Public Relations Award.
The selection for this year’s program is Whose Shoes? A Shoe for Every Job by Stephen R. Swinburne. Published in 2010, this engaging book explores various occupations using simple text and colorful photographs. Whose Shoes? A Shoe for Every Job encourages young readers to guess which shoe matches which job.
The collaborating agencies involved with the program all believe strongly in supporting early literacy efforts. They are working together to develop a multifaceted program accessible to all areas and populations of the state. There are 560,000 children in the target age group, many of which are in the state’s childcare facilities, Head Start programs, licensed preschools or kindergartens.
The One Book, Every Young Child program goes far beyond just giving parents and caregivers a book to read to preschoolers. The program’s design is based on studies showing that simply reading a book is not enough. Adults must find ways to engage children in activities like talking about a book’s cover and illustrations, discussing the action in the book and favorite parts, pretend play related to the book and more.
Through this program, adults with preschoolers in their lives will learn how they can support the development of literacy in preschool children. Because it is important for children to be prepared for school, One Book, Every Young Child will provide opportunities for adults to read aloud and share books, stories, and related activities with preschoolers. These activities have been shown to be crucial to early learning.
One Book, Every Young Child information and program ideas have been developed by librarians and museum educators from across Pennsylvania to promote the value and benefits of reading early and often to preschoolers and to encourage family bonding through books and reading.
One Book, Every Young Child is made possible through a collaboration of the Pennsylvania Department of Education, Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare, Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, Please Touch Museum, State Museum of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Library Association, Pennsylvania Center for the Book, Pennsylvania Association for the Education of Young Children, The Pennsylvania Child Care Association, PennSERVE, HSLC/Access PA and Verizon.
For the sixth year the Verizon Foundation is proudly supporting the Pennsylvania One Book, Every Young Child program with a $40,000 grant as part of its commitment to unlock the promise of literacy. This grant will provide a copy of Whose Shoes? A Shoe for Every Job to more than 15,000 Pennsylvania childcare facilities, licensed preschools, Head Start programs, and family literacy programs.
This program was supported in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by Pennsylvania’s Office of Commonwealth Libraries.
Tips for Family Reading at Home
1. Set aside time for reading every day. Pick a time that works best for you and your child. Many children like a story before bed, but story time happen any time of day. Some children may not want to sit still for a story, so work in a story with another routine—during bath time or snack time. But whenever you choose to read, make it a habit!
2. Choose stories that both you and your child will enjoy. Your child will probably like stories with rhymes, repeated refrains, pictures to identify, and other interactive details. But if you enjoy the story too, your enthusiasm will show, giving story time a happy energy that your child will grow to appreciate.
3. Don’t be afraid to be silly! Give characters funny voices, be melodramatic, and change the words of a familiar story to something unexpected! You do not have to be a great actor to tell the story, but if children see you having fun with a story, they learn that stories are fun!
4. Encourage your child to participate. Let your child predict what happens next in an unfamiliar story, and tell portions of the story themselves in a familiar one. Ask your child to identify the pictures in a book or to describe what they think is happening.
5. Be a reading role model. Let your child see you pick up a book or magazine and read for your own benefit. Show your child how reading helps you find out things, like what ingredients go into dinner and what time a favorite movie is going to be on television. Model good book handling, and give books their own special places in the house.
We invite all families in our area to join us for this very special event. Hope to see you there!
