According to its website at 1000BooksBeforeKindergarten.org/Find-A-Program/New-Hampshire, “New Hampshire 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten is an early literacy initiative that encourages families to read to their young children and to use the resources of their public libraries. 

“The project is based on the national 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten initiative. New Hampshire 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten is sponsored by CHILIS and the New Hampshire State Library, and supported by the Center for the Book at the New Hampshire State Library, the Jack and Dorothy Byrne Foundation, the New Hampshire Academy of Family Physicians, and New Hampshire Family Voices.”

The program gives children a great head start in learning how to read once they do start kindergarten, and it is a wonderful bonding experience for parents and children.

If a family would like to take part in Andover, parents should contact either librarian and sign their child up.  The child will be given a special book bag and log sheets to keep track of how many books they have “read.”  

Books read to children at preschool or day care may be counted, and a book may be counted every time it is read. The child receives a book prize for every 100 books they read, and when they reach 1,000 books, they get a certificate and, with the parents’ permission, their picture is submitted to the Beacon.