ABOVE) Accomplished readers Millie and Natalie Freytag

By Paula Pyzik Scott

Does 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten sound like a staggering goal? Let’s say you begin when your child is one year old: that’s reading ⅔ of a book every day for four years. Okay, so what’s a book? An average board book is about 14 pages. An early reader book averages 32 pages (500-2,000 words) Still sound daunting?

Fortunately, the 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten nonprofit and hundreds of libraries across the United States are ready to give families and caregivers a helping hand, providing encouragement and resources. 

The Ada Public Library (APL) introduced the 1000 Books Before Kindergarten program in 2012. The library gives stickers and a little prize to the child for each 100 books read. At 1,000 books, they get to choose their own book to take home and also get a prize.

In recent weeks, Ada resident Natalie Freytag and her daughter Millie celebrated reaching the 1,000 book milestone with APL Youth Service Coordinator Kari Spencer.

Natalie notes that she began the program with Millie when her daughter was about 18 months and “had the attention span of a squirrel.” She describes how they progressed from board books to chapter books, spending 30 or more minutes reading two-three times a week. They also read before bedtime.

The program has made an enthusiastic and independent reader of Millie’s older brother, who is known to say, “I can’t do chores, Mom. I’m reading!”

Freytag also explains that the program helps you find what books your child likes best, which will also become apparent by the books they want to re-read. She has made sure to include stories, fairy tales, counting, alphabet and comic books, which are all available through the library. When they aren’t sure what to read next, Miss Kari has plenty of recommendations.

For both her son and daughter, Freytag kept track of their progress with pencil and paper, but she knows other parents have used the 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten app.

So, how did Millie reach 1,000 books before her fourth birthday? Her mom estimates that they read as many as 20 books on some days. Recommendations? On this particular day, Fancy Nancy is Millie’s favorite series and Click Clack Moo, Cows That Type is her favorite book.