Read from the Start
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.
May 2021: Celebrating Diverse Families
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 Activity: “I Love You” Garden
Little expressions of love are like seeds in a garden. If you plant them, they can grow into feelings of confidence and joy. Check out this activity to help you and your little one express love for your family.
- Talk with your child about little things you love about them. Say, “I love you because. . . ” then finish the sentence.
- Ask your child to think of some things they love about you or other family members and use the same sentence format.
- Help your child create an “I Love You” garden by writing your “I love you” statements all over a piece of paper. Be sure to include some of the statements from steps 1 & 2.
- Next, ask your child to draw flowers or other nature items around each statement.
- Then, display the picture at home. Show your children you love them everyday and watch them bloom!
This activity is inspired by Sesame Street in Communities’ activity, “‘I Love You Because’ Garden.”
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: Pretend Read
If your child wants to pick up a book and imitate the act of reading, that’s great! Even if your child can’t yet sound out the words on the page, it’s still helpful for them to experience, early on, the physical tasks of reading. While turning pages and learning to identify the start, end, top, and bottom of a book, encourage your child to point to the pictures and make up a story. Let the imagination begin!
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.
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- Love Makes a Family by Sophie Beer
- Tia Isa Wants a Car/Tia Isa Quiere un Carro by Meg Medina
- Maisie’s Scrapbook by Samuel Narh
- Just Right Family by Silvia Lopez
- My Papi Has a Motorcycle/Mi Papi Tiene una Moto by Isabel Quintero
- When the Cousins Came by Katie Yamasaki
- Mango, Abuela, and Me/Mango Abuela, y Yo by Meg Medina
- The Great Big Book of Families by Mary Hoffman
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Access more Booklists from our Read from the Start Archive
Looking for more great resources?
Browse Quality Start LA’s collection of booklists, child-friendly activities, coronavirus resources, and holiday activities guides.