by TALK Coordinator Ann Kaskinen

Every Child Ready to Read® (ECRR) identifies five practices (talk, sing, read, write, and play) that adults should use to engage with children to build early literacy skills. While there are many ways to incorporate reading into a baby’s daily repertoire, board books are key developmental tools. In fact, board books have become so important that in 2023 the Margaret Wise Brown Board Book Award “was created to highlight the impact of high-quality board books on the learning and development of babies and toddlers.” 

According to Caitlin Gallingane, clinical assistant professor at University of Florida’s College of Education, “A tot won’t get the same impact from a picture book or YouTube storytelling, because language retention increases with multisensory input: Being able to look at something, hear something, touch something, say something, all at the same time, reinforces that word and that concept more strongly.” 

TALK: Text & Learn for Kindergarten, based on the ECRR model, incorporates board book suggestions into several of the two, age-appropriate texts sent to parents and caregivers each week. Texts are sent with the goal of raising the frequency and quality of parent/child interactions, and engaging young children with board books is just one of the many ways to help prepare them for kindergarten. 

If your library would like to find out how TALK can help support early literacy development in your community, send queries to talkhelp@mcls.org. 

Request a quote here. 

References 

Cornwall, Gail. “Solid Stories: Why board books are key developmental tools.” School Library  Journal, vol. 69, no. 10, Oct. 2023, pp. 38–41.