As a part of the 'Grow Up Reading' initiative, librarians at the West Bloomfield Township Public Library selected "100 Books to Read in Kindergarten." These titles reinforce what Kindergarteners already know and what they will learn in the year ahead. These 100 books are divided into 10 categories:

• Folk and Fairy Tales - traditional tales from around the world
• Cumulative Stories - stories that build with successive and repeating lines
• Animal Stories - animals are the main characters
• Stories in Rhyme - wonderful rhythm with rhyming text
• My Family & Me - stories about independence and family life
• School & Book Stories - going to Kindergarten!
• Concepts - alphabet, colors, counting and days of the week
• Classics - books with staying power ... popular then and now
• Humorous Stories - stories to make you laugh together
• Imagination - stories that encourage children to use their imagination

Using the 100 Picture Books to Read in Kindergarten list print each of the category pages and place them in a prominent spot in your home where you and your Kindergartener can share books.

Once you have read a title, talk with your child about what happened in the story and what your child thought of the book.

Let your child rank the books by drawing one of the faces below on the list next to the title:

"I really like this book. Let's read it again."

 "The book is okay."

"I didn't like this book very much. I like other books better."

Ranking the books will help your child develop critical thinking skills, which are crucial to reading and learning success.

Enjoy these and many other picture books in Kindergarten and beyond.