Read from the Start

Read from the Start

Posted on by admin@qsla

Read from the Start – Quality Start LA has teamed up with the Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL) System, the LA County Library (LACL) System,  the Pasadena Public Library, and Sesame Street in Communities to bring you “Read from the Start.”

Each month, QSLA and your local library systems will work together to develop a themed booklist, reading tips, and family activities all designed for families with children ages birth to five. Click on the Read from the Start booklists below to download a PDF of the list.

September 2023: Importance of Community Booklist

Monthly Booklist: To print out and share!

Click on the the images below to download the PDF of the booklists, or scroll to the bottom of the page to find every book at your local Los Angeles Public, LA County Library, and Pasadena Public Library.

Monthly Family Activity: Building Connections

Try this activity to illustrate the idea of how families and communities are made of connections:

  • Sit in a circle with a ball of string or yarn. Hand the yarn to your child and ask them to hold the end of the string and name something they’re good at.
  • That child holds onto the string and rolls the yarn to a family member or friend across the circle, who gives an example of how they have been a caring friend/family member. They roll the ball to another person (while still holding on to their string).
  • Repeat until everyone has answered and there is big web connecting everyone in the circle. Point out that they are all important members of their family or community and they are all connected—no one is alone.
  • Ask one child to pull on the string in their hand; others will be able to feel the tug. Ask another person to drop their string, the web will change shape slightly. If you cut the string in one place, the whole web would be damaged. This act can serve to teach that everything we say and do matters to others in our community.
This activity is inspired by Sesame Street in Communities’ activity, “Building Classroom Community”

For more activities related to literacy, click on the links below to further engage children in stories and keep their little minds and bodies active.

25 Reading and Writing Activities

Click the links below for more books available for read aloud:

Reading is Fundamental: Some of your favorite stories available for children pre-k through 6th grade!

ASL(American Sign Language) Stories and Activities

Storyline Online: Watch as some of your favorite actors and actresses read their stories aloud to your little ones!

Read Conmigo: Free bilingual children’s books and literacy resources for children in preschool through fifth grade.

Monthly Family Reading Tip: Engage Your Reader

Babies and toddlers who hear more spoken words are more likely to achieve academic success. Read aloud time can be a good time for your child to hear lots of language and spoken words. Keep the dialogue going by asking your baby questions, pointing out scenes on each page, and talking about what’s happening in the story.

Check these books out at your local library!

Find this month’s books available for digital download at your local library or for read-aloud on YouTube.