Third Week Books

Encouraging young families to read together.

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Baby Readers (0-1 yrs)

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Toddler Readers (1-3 yrs)

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Our Baby Readers:
Rock-A-Bye Baby Reader and
Despertar a la lectura

Both Baby Readers use simple language to educate parents about the importance of reading to their babies. They reinforce the messages of educators and help to establish reading traditions in new families.

The Readers use traditional rhymes because parents are often familiar with them and they help babies learn to distinguish between different sounds as they acquire language skills.

Why were the Baby Readers created?

The Baby Reader project was initiated and supported by the Rock County (MN) Friends of the Library and Rock County's Collaborative. This effort was undertaken because, although medical and educational research consistently demonstrate the importance of reading to infants, that information wasn't reaching the people who needed to hear it most -- the young moms and dads who aren't likely to study parenting books or to read well-meant pamphlets. On our Baby Reader pages, the recent findings of developmental research are presented in simple, encouraging sentences alongside the read-aloud rhymes.

What is the message of the Baby Readers?

The Baby Readers stress family involvement. Their pages combine brightly illustrated classic nursery rhymes with short Parent Notes about the important "first and best teacher" role of parents in the educational development of their children. Photographs of real parents reading to babies reinforce this theme of family involvement. The Baby Readers, started as a project of Rock County Friends of the Library, also endorse library use and encourage families to visit libraries and continue to read together.



Rock-A-Bye Baby Reader
Despertar a la lectura

A Spanish-language Reader-- does Humpty Dumpty translate well?

Because Despertar a la lectura's audience is new parents who are most comfortable reading in Spanish, its Parent Notes are in Spanish. We've used traditional poems of Spanish-language cultures (e.g., Tortillitas, Un elefante se balanceaba) as the read-aloud material for parents to share with babies. Fun, rhyming English-language translations of the poems are also presented to allow parents to read aloud to their babies in Spanish and/or English.


Despertar a la lectura: Cuatro patas

Is there some way to recognize the funding source on our program's books?

We can now offer customized gift tags on the covers of Rock-A-Bye Baby Reader or Despertar a la lectura. On orders of 1,000 or more of a single title, you could complete the gift label with the sponsoring entity's name on the From: line of the gift tag. The To: line. There may also be space available on the covers for your program's name/contact information or a b/w logo. The customizing print is available in black ink/tones only. Plate change cost is $400.

Note: The customizing option is available only when we go to press. Please contact us to discuss this option and we'll alert you when we next go to press with the Baby Readers.