By Amber Covington

Rowan Public Library

Many families take advantage of our story times at Rowan Public Library. We enjoy the audiences and hope to see more local families at our weekly story times. Often, caregivers and parents are looking for guidance to jumpstart their preschoolers’ reading.

Reading is a way to increase preschoolers’ vocabulary and narrative skills. Reading a picture book and asking questions throughout the reading is called dialogical reading. This technique is based on the American Library Association’s “Every Child Ready to Read @ Your Library.” To learn more please visit http://www.earlylit.net/ecrtr/.

Dialogic reading provides children and caregivers a shared reading time of fully examining and understanding the images and words in the books. The caregiver engages the child by asking questions.

As the story develops, allow the child to express his or her thoughts of the characters, background images and interactions in the book. Allowing the child to express himself while reading lets the child grasp the sequence of events in the story and take ownership in helping to read.

The dialogue engages the child with the book and creates a time for the caregiver to help the child think of words to tell what is happening in the story.

Giving children ownership of reading and the ability to connect with or relate to a book builds their vocabulary and ability to share their thoughts. Caregivers can easily help the child with words by introducing new vocabulary and pointing at the images on the page to help the child associate them with the written text. The role of the caregiver in dialogic reading is very encouraging and allows the child to take ownership in his or her ability to read.

Preschoolers ages 2-5 are wonderful reading partners. Plan a weekly home story time to read with your child. Make this a special time when you can be silly, making sounds of animals, cars and planes. Get involved with the words on the page and show excitement in reading to show to your child the fun of reading a book. Most of all, enjoy laughing and sharing time with your family.

As a caregiver, you hold the power to change your child’s relationship with reading. It all starts with children seeing adults in their lives enjoy reading. Begin your child’s love of reading by visiting one of the library branches and allowing children to see the variety of books they can take home and enjoy.

Take advantage of the weekly scheduled preschool story times at each branch. As a family, visit as often as you can and set a schedule for picking up and returning books to excite the child about getting new books to read at home, in the park, in the car or at school. As always, the library is always here to help you in finding the books to fit your needs.

Looking for books to begin your reading journey, check out these options at your local library branch:

“Raising a Rock-Star Reader: 75 Quick Tips to Help Your Child Develop a Lifelong Love of Reading,” by Amy Mascott and Allison McDonald.

“Raising Passionate Readers: 5 Easy Steps to Success In School and Life,” by Nancy Newman.

“Silly Books to Read Aloud,” by Rob Reid.

“101 Books to Read Before You Grow Up: The Must-Read Book List for Kids,” by Bianca Schulze.

Chapter Chats Book Club: A weekly club for teens 14-17, primarily for participants with developmental or intellectual disabilities, but all are welcome. Meets Tuesdays at East branch meeting room, through May 23, 5 p.m. For more information, contact Tammie Foster at 704-216-7842.

Dr. Who’s Days: Travel through time and space with screenings of the classic BBC program, “Dr. Who.” Families are invited to attend. Headquarters, April 11, 4:30 p.m.

Teen Advisory Board: Teens who join this board provide input on RPL’s teen programming and book selection and discuss current events and issues of interest. Members can count their hours of participation toward school community service requirements. East, April 10, 6:30 p.m.; South, April 6, 4:30 p.m.; Headquarters, March 28, April 25, 4:30 p.m.

Teen program: March 20, at all branches, “Dr. Strange,” 4:30-6:30 p.m. Bring your smartphone, tablet or Apple device to the movie at your nearest RPL branch. This 2016 film stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Chiwetel Ejiofor and has a runtime of 115 min. It is rated PG-13, so an adult must accompany teens 13 and under. Chat online with audience members at all three branches while watching the film at your RPL location. Free, open to individuals ages 11-18. For more information, contact Hope at 704-216-8258 or Hope.Loman@rowancountync.gov.

Lego free play: March 25, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., East branch. The library’s Lego collection will be available for free play for children.

Book Bites Book Club: “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini, South Rowan Regional, March 28,  6 pm. The book club is free and open to the public. Call 704-216-7731 for more information.

Genealogy class: African-American Resources, March 25, 10 a.m., headquarters. This event, co-hosted by the Genealogical Society of Rowan County and the History Room of RPL, is free and open to the public. This class will concentrate on familiarizing participants with resources in genealogical research for African-Americans and other people of color.

Readers Connect: On a Dark and Stormy Night, March 22, 6-8 p.m., headquarters. This event is for mystery and thriller fans to discuss their favorite characters, authors and genres. Games, door prizes and refreshments will be provided. Free and open to the public.

Night at the Library: March 27-29, East branch. Ever wonder what happens at the library at night? Does Pete the Cat sing loud and proud? Does the Cat in the Hat run amok? “Night in the Library” exposes the escapades that occur when patrons aren’t around. You’re invited to leave a favorite stuffed animal to experience this overnight adventure. One animal per family with only 20 slots available per branch. Registration is required. Drop off your favorite stuffed animal March 27-28 between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. Pick up your animal friend on March 29, between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. Participants will receive their free pictures and souvenirs at a Special PJ Storytime on Tuesday, April 11, at 6 p.m. Call 704-216-7842 to register and/or for more information.

Learn.Act.Grow.: “Share That Story,” March 27, 5:30-7 p.m., South Rowan Regional. Ever considered publishing your memoirs or a novel? Local authors David Freeze, Jenny Hubbard and Doug Creamer host a discussion forum about the writing process, from drafting to publication, encouraging would-be published writers to “share that story.”

Movie matinee at East: “Toy Story,” March 27, 5:30 p.m., East branch. Meet Sheriff Woody, Buzz Lightyear, and the rest of the toy room gang in this 1995, G-rated film. It has a runtime of 81 min. Light refreshments; free and open to the public. All ages welcome; however, an adult must accompany children under 9.

Downtown Beats, Rowan’s Impromptu Chorus: March 27, 6-7 p.m., Headquarters. Everyone is welcome. This community sing requires no experience and no commitment. No charge or prior registration is required. Arrive at 6 p.m. for a short practice of two songs. March’s sing culminates with a final performance of the night’s songs. Questions? Contact Abigail at Abigail.Hardison@rowancountync.gov or at 704-216-8248.

Displays: Headquarters, Rowan Doll Society and Salisbury Academy; East, celebrating Dr. Seuss; South, North Carolina pottery.

Literacy: Call the Rowan County Literacy Council at 704-216-8266 for more information on teaching or receiving literacy tutoring for English speakers or for those for whom English is a second language.

Weekly events for children run through the week of April 28.

Baby Time: Infants to 23 months. A loosely interactive program introducing simple stories and songs to infants up to 23 months old with a parent or caregiver; 30 minutes. Headquarters, Char’s Little Stars, Wednesday, 10 a.m.; East branch, Tammie’s Tiny Sprouts, Mondays, 10 a.m.; South Regional, Miss Pat’s Tiny Tots, Wednesdays, 10 a.m.

Toddler Time: 18 to 35 months. Focused on sharing books, singing songs and encouraging listening skills with a parent or caregiver. 30 min. Headquarters, Reading Rumpus, Tuesdays, 10:30 .m.; East, Tammie’s Tot Time, Mondays, 11 a.m.; South, Miss Pat’s Wee Readers, Tuesdays, 10:30 a.m.

Preschool Time: To encourage the exploration of books and build reading readiness skills for children 3 to 5 years old with a parent or caregiver. 30 minutes. Headquarters, East and South, Thursdays, 10:30 a.m.

Noodlehead Story Time: Books and songs for all ages; primary focus is pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. 30-45 minutes. Headquarters, Thursdays, 4 p.m.; East, Tuesdays, 3:30 p.m.; South, Wednesdays, 4 p.m.

Art programs: Activities and instruction based on various themes and media vary by branch. Appropriate for pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. Headquarters, Art in the Afternoon, Thursdays, 4:30 p.m.; East, Bethany’s Brushes, Tuesdays, 4 p.m.; South, Canvas Kids, Wednesdays, 4:30 p.m.

Tail Waggin’ Tutors: Children 7 to 9 can practice their reading skills in a relaxed, dog-friendly atmosphere. Dogs registered through Therapy Dogs International are available for beginning and struggling readers to read aloud to them. Reservations are recommended but not required. Headquarters, Tuesdays, 4:30 p.m.; East, selected Mondays, 3:30 p.m.; South, selected Tuesdays at 6 p.m. and Saturdays at 10 a.m.

Anime Club: Teens and college-age individuals (21 and under) are invited to watch anime and engage in Japanese-themed crafts and games. Headquarters, April 4, 4:30 p.m.