Family Literacy Month Raffle Giveaway

November is National Family Literacy Month––an opportunity to recognize and celebrate the important role that families play in the education of their children. This month we encourage you to explore our literacy resources and visit the Library with your family!

Family Literacy Month Giveaway

One of our favorite sets of children’s book characters is the timeless Frog and Toad. Arnold Lobel wrote and illustrated countless children’s books and received several awards for his work, including a Caldecott Medal, two Caldecott Honors, and a Newbery Honor.

In support of Family Literacy Month, we’re giving away 40 copies of the classic early reader, Frog and Toad are Friends. We are also giving away two gift cards for a pair of one adult and one child tickets to Cardinal Stage's upcoming production of A Year with Frog and Toad!

Many of us grew up with Frog and Toad in our homes, so it’s exciting to share their adventures with a new generation. You can enter the giveaway at the Ellettsville Branch Library or the Downtown Library’s children’s information desk now through November 30.

Volunteers in Tutoring Adult Learners

According to ProLiteracy, the single greatest indicator of children’s success is the literacy level of their parents. Family Literacy Month encourages caregivers to prioritize their own education so they can be more engaged in their children’s learning and literacy development.

One way we support adult literacy is through Volunteers in Tutoring Adult Learners (VITAL). VITAL provides a safe and respectful learning environment for adults who want to improve their reading, writing, math, basic computer, or English-language skills. It offers tutoring, English language groups, and helps learners prepare for the high school equivalency exam, driver's license test, and citizenship test. Learn more about VITAL.

Family Literacy Events and Resources

Working on your tween’s or teen’s literacy skills? Encourage their love of reading by helping them find the right books. Our librarians are here to help! Stop by for suggestions in person, browse our staff picks lists online, or request a personalized recommendation!

Being literate means knowing how to read and write; however, knowing where stories come from and how they can be told through music, dance, and live performance is another important piece of literacy. Exposure to different experiences, stories, and forms of literature aids in building background knowledge of the world and it fosters comprehension. Our First Theater Experiences events support literacy by introducing young children to the joys and benefits of attending plays, music, dance, storytelling, and other performances. Make sure to check out this month’s Junie B. Jones is Not a Crook play!

Many of our children’s librarians are trained in Every Child Ready to Read (ECRR), a national early literacy organization based on scientific research. ECRR encourages engaging with our children in daily doses of singing, talking, reading, writing, and playing. We incorporate literacy and the five daily ECRR practices into all of our early childhood events, whether it’s storytime, baby time, arts and crafts, or sensory play! Explore our birth–age 6 events and resources online. Virtual events are available for you to enjoy at your convenience! You can also pick up a monthly calendar of ECRR activities to do at home at any of our locations.

For more opportunities to learn as a family, you can visit the StoryWalk® and join our 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten program! The StoryWalk® is an outdoor educational activity that places the pages from a children’s story along a walking route at a local park. We have StoryWalk locations in Bloomington and Ellettsville!

1,000 Books Before Kindergarten is a free program that encourages you to read 1,000 books with your child before they start kindergarten. 1,000 books is just one bedtime story a night for three years! Learn more.