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Parents' Corner

Thank you for reading with your child! This library exists so that every kid gets story time, even on the days when grown-ups are stretched thin. Here's how to get the most out of it.

📺 Turn screen time into reading time

Switch on captions (CC)

Watching with same-language captions means your child sees each word at the moment they hear it. Researchers have found that this simple switch measurably improves reading skills, and it costs nothing. Look for the 💬 chip on a book's page: it means captions are available.

  • Sit together when you can. Even five minutes of shared reading beats an hour of solo viewing.
  • Use the pause button. Stop to ask "what do you think happens next?" Prediction builds comprehension.
  • Let them lead. Re-watching a favorite twenty times is how kids master words. It isn't wasted time!
  • Keep a routine. A story before bed or after school turns reading into a habit.

📚 Choosing the right book

Our shelves are grouped by age, but every child is different:

A good rule of thumb: a book is "just right" for independent reading if your child stumbles on no more than five words on a page. Read-alongs are different. Because the narrator carries the story, kids can enjoy books a level or two above where they read on their own, and that's where a lot of vocabulary growth happens.

🧠 On every book page you'll find

  • Read Together tips for before, during and after watching, matched to the book's age range
  • Talk about it questions to spark a conversation
  • Word Explorer "treasure words" to pause on and discuss
  • Find This Book links to borrow it free from your local library or the Libby app
  • ⭐ We read this! to add it to your child's bookshelf and earn reading badges

🏛️ Your library card is a superpower

Nearly every book here can be borrowed free from a public library, in print or as an e-book or audiobook through Libby. Holding the real book while the video plays is a wonderful way to practice following along with a finger under each word.

🔒 Privacy

Videos are embedded in YouTube's privacy-enhanced mode and only load when you press play. The bookshelf lives only in your browser. There are no accounts and nothing to sign up for.