Nesmith Library

Windham, New Hampshire

1000 Books Before Kindergarten

The Nesmith Library Youth Services department is proud to support the 1000 Books Before Kindergarten Program! The goal is to read 1,000 books together before your child starts kindergarten. This might sound like a daunting task, but by focusing on daily reading habits as a family, it's an easy goal to reach:

1 book per day for 1 year: 365 books

1 book per day for 3 years: 1,095 books

1 book per day for 5 years: 1,825 books!

We are here to support you as you work toward this early literacy challenge, with methods for keeping track of your progress, staying motivated, and celebrating your achievements!

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Join our challenge on Beanstack

Track Reading Online: Keeping track of your progress is easy with our 1000 Books Before Kindergarten Beanstack challenge! You can access Beanstack by downloading the app or visiting the link in your browser. (If you participated in Summer Reading, you will use the same Beanstack login, then join the 1000 Books challenge for each reader!) We will send periodic email updates to everyone who registers for the 1000 Books challenge with encouragement, ideas, and updates from the Nesmith Library Youth Services department.

Add Multiple Books at a Time on the Beanstack app:

  1. Tap the "+" Button at the bottom of the screen
  2. Select "Log Without a Title" and select your reader
  3. Add the number of books under "How many books did you complete?"

Stay Motivated: Children who start the challenge and read 100 books can visit the Children's Room to get an NH 1000 Books tote bag (excellent for helping you to take home library books to reach your goal)! At each 100 books milestone, visit us for a new patch to iron onto your tote bag (or any fabric).

Pictured: Aubrielle got her NH 1000 Books tote for reading her first 100 books, and then added all nine patches signifying each level along the way to one thousand! Congratulations, Aubrielle!

Celebrate Your Achievements: If you would like to share photos with us of your children enjoying reading toward their 1000 Books or celebrating milestones along the way, please email Head of Youth Services Azra and let us know if we can use the photo on social media, on our website, and/or in our newsletter to help promote 1000 Books!

Reading Suggestions: Youth Services staff are excited to help you keep reading! Please visit us in the Children's Room or reach out if you would like recommendations, a Mystery Grab Bag, or reading lists to fuel your 1000 Books challenge!

  • Mystery Grab Bags: Nesmith Library staff will put together a selection of books and other items for you based on your readers' interests! You can fill out the Mystery Grab Bag Form, or call or visit us.
  • Contact Us: You can call and ask for Youth Services (603-432-7154), or email Head of Youth Services Azra, Youth Services Librarian Molly, or Children's Library Assistant Courtney.
  • NoveList K-8 Plus: This digital resource allows you to search and browse lists of books based on types of character, setting, story theme, and more! Visit our Catalog Esources page to log in with your Nesmith Library card barcode and PIN, then select NoveList K-8 Plus from the list to start searching. Be sure to choose Ages 0-8 in each reading suggestions area to tailor the search results to the reading level you are looking for, and once you find books you are interested in, please search our Catalog or ask library staff how to find those items, we are happy to help!
  • The 1000 Books Foundation offers a variety of 1000 Books Resources which you may find helpful as you take on this challenge!
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