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Early Literacy
Baby Bundles: Baby Outreach Program
Literacy @ the Library
Parenting Information
School Visit Information
Travelling Tales: Outreach to Aurora Child Care Centres

 

Early Literacy


Children are prepared to read and write before they begin school.  Early literacy refers to what children know about reading and writing before they begin to read and write.  Encouraging and fostering early literacy from a young age will help your child succeed in kindergarten and later grades.

There are six pre-reading skills that can be learned from birth.


  1. Narrative Skills: Ability to describe events and tell stories.  Read a book with your child and ask them what happened in the story.
     
  2. Phonological Awareness: Awareness of sound structure and ability to manipulate sounds in words.  Rhyming is a good way to encourage this skill. 
     
  3. Print Motivation: Interest and enjoyment of books.   
     
  4. Vocabulary: Using words correctly and learning new words.  Instead of using the word "happy" in a story use a variation such as "glad" or "content". 
     
  5. Print Awareness: Understanding what a book is and how it can be manipulated.  Hold a book upside down and see if your child corrects you. 
     
  6. Letter Knowledge: Recognizing that each letter in the alphabet is distinct, has a unique name and sound.  Sing the alphabet song and read alphabet books, such as Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin. Jr.  
(Source: American Library Association)

 

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Baby Bundles

Baby Bundles is an outreach program that introduces new parents to Aurora Public Library.  Aurora babies up to the age of 12 months are invited to register for their very own library card and then visit the Children and Young Adult Information Desk to receive their bundle. 

The specially designed book bag contains information about the Library, program information, reading suggestions and your baby's first book, Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown. 

 Sponsorship for this program is provided by Optimist Club of Aurora.  
 

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Literacy @ the Library 

The Library has an extensive collection of literacy resources for children from birth to adolescence.    

  1. Board Books: This is the first type of book you can share with your baby.  These books are small, durable with few words and large pictures on each page.  A classic title is Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown.   
     
  2. Picture Books: Picture Books range from a few words on each page to increasingly sophisticated plots and language.  Try the popular title, The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle 
     
  3. Easy Readers: These books suit the developmental stages of independent reading.  At the basic level, these books will have few words on the page, picture and simple plots.  More sophisiticated examples of Easy Readers introduce children to chapters, advanced plot and character development.   
     
  4. Juvenile Fiction: Chapter books for established readers.  These books have few to no pictures with complex plot and themes.  Genres are further defined in this collection.  Example of popular series include: Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Harry Potter, Candy Apple series and Allie Finkle
     
  5. Non-Fiction: 'Information books' which present facts on various subjects.  The Non- Fiction collection is organized by subject and contains materials suitable for all ages, though specially targeted for elementary school students.
     
  6. Multilingual Materials: The Library has an extensive French collection, which includes fiction and non-fiction materials.  In addition, the library offers a limited selected of books in various languages.
     
  7. Audiovisual Collection:  This collection includes juvenile DVDs and videos, audiobooks, music CDs and KITS (storybook with a read-a-long CD).
      

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Parenting Information

The Library has many resources related to parenting. 

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School Visit Information

The Library has a lot to offer elementary schools!  Our collection and knowledge complements the school curriculum.  To best serve our schools, Aurora Public Library offers school visits throughout the year to introduce students to their local library. 

A visit can introduce students to research skills, general library information as well as a presentation and demonstration of the Library's electronic and print collections.  Programs are tailored specifically to the student's grade level and can be modified to focus on subjects and/or themes.

The Library also offers outreach visits to classrooms where we bring the Library to you!

To book a visit, please let us know 3 weeks in advance and we will be happy to accommodate you based on availability. Please contact Polly Ross, Children's Services Librarian, for further information. (905) 727-9494 ext. 280.
 

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Travelling Tales


Travelling Tales is an exciting Aurora Public Library outreach program developed for child care centres in the community.  

This program reaches children who may not be able to take advantage of in-library preschool programs and visits.  As children are introduced to the library, their early literacy skills are reinforced through a program filled with stories, songs, nursery rhymes and more! 

Invitations are sent to Aurora child care centres twice a year. Please contact Polly Ross, Childrens' Services Librarian, for further information. (905) 727-9494 ext. 280.

 
 
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