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Bookworm
make your baby a
Vivien Kadobinskj, Book Project Co-ordinator at Oxfordshire County Council’s
libraries, says it’s never too early to share a book with your baby.
Sharing books with babies
and children helps them
learn to talk and read, as well
as being a wonderful and
intimate experience for both
of you.
Don’t worry if you’re not used
to reading aloud: it’s your voice
that counts as your child loves
the sound of it. Point to pictures
on a page and experiment with
different voices and sounds
as you read. This makes the
experience all the more fun for
both you and your child.
Children quickly learn about
books and will soon be turning
the pages and perhaps
learning to talk and read for
themselves. Your child will love
to hear the same story over
and over again and while you
may find this a little tedious,
repetition is important both for
your child’s sense of security
and also for their language
skills. You’ll be amazed at how
quickly they improve.
What your local library can
offer you
At all of our libraries, you’ll
find lots of board books and
picture books to share with
your baby, as well as stories
on CD, and children’s DVDs to
hire. But did you know you can
also find out information on
playgroups, children’s centres
and support groups?
Additionally, many libraries
run regular rhyme times for
you and your child to join in.
Look out for special story
times and activities in school
holidays.
Every library also has
computers with internet
access, which you can use
for free – all you pay for
is printing. Children love
the internet as it’s a great
way to keep in touch with
friends, look for information
for homework, or research
their interests. It’s also a
vital tool for communication,
information and entertainment
and is critical to your child’s
development in today’s world.
To keep your child safe, we
have special computers for the
under-15’s that have filtered
access to the internet, but
we’d always recommend you
keep an eye on them to ensure
they’re safe.
Bookstart
Bookstart is a national
programme that gives free
books to all babies and young
children at eight months old
and three years old, which
inspire, stimulate and create a
love of reading. Each Bookstart
pack contains two books,
information about sharing
books with your child, and
library information. The table
opposite shows you what you
can expect and when.
A Summer Reading Challenge
is held in all libraries during
the summer holidays, which is
a fun way of enjoying reading.
Children are encouraged to
read six books to win rewards.
Look out for the next
exciting challenge.
Get signed up!
Joining the library is fast, free
and easy. To find your nearest
branch and for information on
how to join, visit the Oxfordshire
County Council’s website
at: www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/
libraries
Your baby is eligible for their
own library card and the
earlier they start using it the
better. They can borrow up to
20 books for three weeks and
the good news is that there
are no overdue fines for under
fives. We know that accidents
can and do happen so children
are not charged for damage to
their books.