Skip to main content
close
Font size options
Increase or decrease the font size for this website by clicking on the 'A's.
Contrast options
Choose a color combination to give the most comfortable contrast.

Reading with kids is an important step toward getting them ready to read on their own

Shared Reading

Share a Book Together

As you read a book aloud, encourage your child to participate — make it interactive! Shared book reading is one of the most important ways adults can help children get ready to learn to read.

There are many ways to share a book with a child:

  • Encourage your child to turn the pages.

  • Focus on the text.

    • Point to words in repeated phrases

    • What does the font or layout of the text tell you?

    • What letters do you notice?

  • Help your child tell a story from the pictures.

  • Look at the pictures on one page. What do they make you and your child think about? Talk about them together.

  • Read the story straight through to get the flow of the story. There may be short interactions with your child.

  • Encourage your child join in with a repeated word or phrase.

  • When reading books with repeated phrases or actions, or rhyming books, stop before the end of a line and let your child finish it.

  • Ask questions to involve your child: "What do you think is happening here?"

  • Ask open-ended questions: "What would you do if that happened to you? How would you feel? Why do you think happened?"Sharing a book with a child is different from reading TO a child

  • Talk about or explain words your child does not know.

  • Give your child time to ask questions or make comments.

  • After reading the book, talk about what happened first, in the middle, last.

  • Ask questions that prompt your child to reflect on the story. Examples:

    • How would you have solved this problem?

    • Now that you know what happened, why do you think the character acted that way?

    • How was the story different from what you thought would happen?

Guidelines from: Saroj Ghoting, www.earlylit.net

Ready for more? Check out MemFox's Ten Read Aloud Commandments, simple every child ready to read logoand important advice from a leading children's author!

This Month's Featured Reads!

LCPL staff have selected these books because kids love them and they help build important pre-reading skills. Check them out today!

Want more hand-picked kids' books? You can request a surprise bag of kids' books for curbside pickup! 

book cover Title:
Daniel Finds a Poem by Micha Archer

Skills:
• Background Knowledge

Practices:
• Talking
• Writing

Extend the book with a poem of your own!

Book Cover Title:
Counting on the Woods by George Ella Lyon, photographs by Ann W. Olson

Skills:
• Background Knowledge
• Vocabulary

Practices:
• Playing
• Talking

Extend the book with a nature viewer!
Preschool Events
Tue, Apr 02, 10:15am - 10:45am
Munster - Large Meeting Room

Tue, Apr 02, 10:15am - 11:00am
St. John - Children's Program Room

Tue, Apr 02, 10:30am - 11:00am
Merrillville - Children's Programming Room

Tue, Apr 02, 10:30am - 11:00am
Highland - Children's Programming Room

Tue, Apr 02, 10:30am - 11:00am
Hobart - Children's Program Room

Tue, Apr 02, 11:00am - 11:30am
Munster - Large Meeting Room

Tue, Apr 02, 11:30am - 12:15pm
Cedar Lake - Children's Programming Room

Tue, Apr 02, 11:30am - 12:00pm
Griffith-Calumet Twp - Children's Programming Room

Wed, Apr 03, 5:00pm - 5:30pm
Hobart - Children's Program Room

Thu, Apr 04, 10:15am - 10:45am
St. John - Large Meeting Room

Thu, Apr 04, 10:30am - 11:15am
Highland - Children's Programming Room

Thu, Apr 04, 11:00am - 11:30am
Hobart - Children's Program Room

Thu, Apr 04, 11:15am - 11:45am
St. John - Large Meeting Room

Thu, Apr 04, 11:30am - 12:15pm
Cedar Lake - Children's Programming Room

Thu, Apr 04, 6:00pm - 7:00pm
Munster Branch Library - Children's Area

Sat, Apr 06, 10:00am - 10:45am
St. John - Children's Program Room

Mon, Apr 08, 1:00pm - 1:45pm
Dyer-Schererville - Children's Programming Room

Mon, Apr 08, 1:00pm - 2:30pm
Munster - Large Meeting Room

Mon, Apr 08, 1:00pm - 2:30pm
Munster Branch Library - North Parking Lot

Mon, Apr 08, 5:30pm - 6:15pm
Cedar Lake - Children's Programming Room

Tue, Apr 09, 10:15am - 11:00am
St. John - Large Meeting Room

Tue, Apr 09, 10:30am - 11:00am
Dyer-Schererville - Children's Programming Room
This event is full

Tue, Apr 09, 10:30am - 11:15am
Merrillville - Children's Programming Room

Tue, Apr 09, 10:30am - 11:00am
Highland - Children's Programming Room
This event is full

Tue, Apr 09, 10:30am - 11:15am
Munster - Large Meeting Room

Tue, Apr 09, 10:30am - 11:30am
Hobart - Programming Room

Tue, Apr 09, 11:30am - 12:00pm
Cedar Lake - Children's Programming Room

Tue, Apr 09, 11:30am - 12:00pm
Griffith-Calumet Twp - Children's Programming Room

Tue, Apr 09, 1:30pm - 2:15pm
Munster - Children's Program Room

Tue, Apr 09, 2:30pm - 3:30pm
Hobart - Programming Room

Tue, Apr 09, 4:00pm - 5:00pm
Highland - Children's Programming Room

Wed, Apr 10, 10:30am - 11:00am
Merrillville - Children's Programming Room

Wed, Apr 10, 12:30pm - 8:00pm
St. John Branch Library - Circulation

Wed, Apr 10, 2:30pm - 3:00pm
Hobart - Children's Program Room

Wed, Apr 10, 6:00pm - 7:00pm
Merrillville Library - Children's Department

Thu, Apr 11, 4:00pm - 5:00pm
Lake Station-New Chicago - Large Meeting Room

Sat, Apr 13, 10:30am - 12:00pm
Merrillville - Children's Programming Room

Sat, Apr 13, 11:00am - 11:40am
Griffith-Calumet Twp - Children's Programming Room

Mon, Apr 15, 1:00pm - 1:45pm
Griffith-Calumet Twp - Children's Programming Room

Tue, Apr 16, 10:15am - 10:45am
Munster - Large Meeting Room

Tue, Apr 16, 10:15am - 11:00am
St. John - Large Meeting Room

Tue, Apr 16, 10:30am - 11:00am
Dyer-Schererville - Children's Programming Room
This event is full

Tue, Apr 16, 10:30am - 11:00am
Merrillville - Children's Programming Room

Tue, Apr 16, 10:30am - 11:00am
Lake Station-New Chicago - Children's Program Room

Tue, Apr 16, 10:30am - 11:00am
Highland - Children's Programming Room

Tue, Apr 16, 10:30am - 11:00am
Hobart - Children's Program Room

Tue, Apr 16, 11:00am - 11:30am
Munster - Large Meeting Room

Tue, Apr 16, 11:30am - 12:15pm
Cedar Lake - Children's Programming Room

Tue, Apr 16, 11:30am - 12:00pm
Griffith-Calumet Twp - Children's Programming Room

Thu, Apr 18, 10:15am - 10:45am
St. John - Large Meeting Room

Thu, Apr 18, 10:30am - 11:00am
Lake Station-New Chicago - Children's Program Room

Thu, Apr 18, 10:30am - 11:15am
Highland - Children's Programming Room

Thu, Apr 18, 11:00am - 11:30am
Hobart - Children's Program Room

Thu, Apr 18, 11:15am - 11:45am
St. John - Large Meeting Room

Thu, Apr 18, 11:30am - 12:15pm
Cedar Lake - Children's Programming Room

Tue, Apr 23, 10:15am - 11:00am
St. John - Large Meeting Room

Tue, Apr 23, 10:30am - 11:00am
Dyer-Schererville - Children's Programming Room
This event is full

Tue, Apr 23, 10:30am - 11:15am
Merrillville - Children's Programming Room

Tue, Apr 23, 10:30am - 11:00am
Lake Station-New Chicago - Children's Program Room

Tue, Apr 23, 10:30am - 11:00am
Highland - Children's Programming Room
This event is full

Tue, Apr 23, 10:30am - 11:15am
Munster - Large Meeting Room

Tue, Apr 23, 11:30am - 12:00pm
Cedar Lake - Children's Programming Room

Tue, Apr 23, 11:30am - 12:00pm
Griffith-Calumet Twp - Children's Programming Room

Tue, Apr 23, 1:30pm - 2:15pm
Munster - Children's Program Room

Wed, Apr 24, 10:30am - 11:00am
Merrillville - Children's Programming Room

Wed, Apr 24, 3:30pm - 4:30pm
Lake Station-New Chicago - Children's Program Room

Wed, Apr 24, 3:30pm - 4:00pm
Hobart - Children's Program Room

Thu, Apr 25, 10:30am - 11:00am
Lake Station-New Chicago - Children's Program Room

Thu, Apr 25, 10:30am - 11:00am
Hobart - Children's Program Room

Thu, Apr 25, 2:30pm - 3:00pm
Hobart - Children's Program Room

Thu, Apr 25, 6:30pm - 7:00pm
Merrillville - Children's Programming Room

Fri, Apr 26, 3:30pm - 4:30pm
Lake Station-New Chicago - Large Meeting Room

Family Events
Tue, Apr 02, 11:00am - 12:00pm
Merrillville - Children's Programming Room

Wed, Apr 03, 5:00pm - 5:30pm
Hobart - Children's Program Room

Sat, Apr 06, 10:00am - 10:45am
St. John - Children's Program Room

Sat, Apr 06, 2:00pm - 4:00pm
Hobart - Large Meeting Room

Mon, Apr 08, 1:00pm - 2:30pm
Griffith-Calumet Twp - Children's Programming Room
This event is full

Mon, Apr 08, 1:00pm - 2:30pm
Munster - Large Meeting Room

Mon, Apr 08, 1:45pm - 2:30pm
St. John - Patio

Mon, Apr 08, 5:30pm - 6:15pm
Cedar Lake - Children's Programming Room

Wed, Apr 10, 11:00am - 12:00pm
Merrillville - Children's Programming Room

Wed, Apr 10, 12:30pm - 8:00pm
St. John Branch Library - Circulation

Wed, Apr 10, 2:30pm - 3:00pm
Hobart - Children's Program Room

Sat, Apr 13, 10:30am - 12:00pm
Merrillville - Children's Programming Room

Tue, Apr 16, 11:00am - 12:00pm
Merrillville - Children's Programming Room

Wed, Apr 17, 6:00pm - 7:00pm
Highland - Children's Programming Room

Mon, Apr 22, 6:00pm - 7:00pm
Munster - Children's Program Room

Wed, Apr 24, 11:00am - 12:00pm
Merrillville - Children's Programming Room

Thu, Apr 25, 6:30pm - 7:00pm
Merrillville - Children's Programming Room

Sat, Apr 27, 3:00pm - 4:00pm
Lake Station-New Chicago - Large Meeting Room

New at LCPL

Looking for something new? These titles have just hit our shelves!