Summer 2025
 Early Literacy Newsletter
In this Issue
Summer 2025 Early Literacy Newsletter
Library News
Fun with Early Literacy: Level Up Your Math Talk!
Additional Resources for Parents
Library News
Summer Reading is Here!
This year's theme is "Level Up". Come to your library branch to pick up a free book and bag for each child under 18 years of age, while supplies last. Find out more about how you can participate in summer reading here. We have library activities for all ages in Corvallis, Philomath, Monroe and Alsea. For more information about all summer reading activities and programs, please visit our website and events calendar. 
 
Summer events for kids under age 5 at Corvallis Public Library:
MODEL TRAIN SHOW
Saturday, June 21, 12-6pm
Sunday, June 22, 1-5pm
The Oregon Electric O Gaugers will bring a model train show for the whole family. 
 
FAMILY CRAFT NIGHT
Tuesday, June 24 & August 26, 5-6:30 pm
Main Meeting Room at Corvallis Public Library
Join us for various crafts and activities for families and children of all ages. 
 
ART EXPLORIUM FOR YOUNG KIDS
Saturday, July 12, 10:30-11:30AM
Main Meeting Room at Corvallis Public Library
Create a masterpiece through process art for kids kindergarten age and under. Be prepared to be messy!
 
TEDDY BEAR PICNIC with RED YARN
Thursday, July 17, 1:00-3:00pm                                                                    
Central Park                                                       
Red Yarn returns with a high-energy, playful children's concert featuring folk songs and puppets.
 
PUZZLE SWAP
Saturday, July 19, 12:00-1:30pm
Main Meeting Room at Corvallis Public Library
Bring your puzzles to swap!
 
DUSTEE DAY
Tuesday, August 5, all day with special storytime at 10:30am at Central Park
Youth Area at Corvallis Public Library
Kick off R.E.A.D. dogs and honor Dustee the whippet with outdoor storytime at 10:30am and self-guided activities all day in the Corvallis Public Library. 
 
DOG DAYS OF SUMMER
Tuesdays & Thursdays in AUGUST
3:30-4:30PM
Main Meeting Room at Corvallis Public Library
Kids read out loud to trained therapy dogs.
 
POOL PARTY
Saturday, August 9, 2 sessions: 3:00-4:00 pm / 4:00-5:00pm
Clemens Community Pool at Philomath High School (2054 Applegate St. Philomath)
Make a splash! Open to all Summer Reading participants and their families. Registration is recommended. Please register for one session only. Free!
 
Storytimes at CBCPL

OUTDOOR STORYTIMES! (for all ages)
Tuesdays & Thursdays
June, July, August,10:30am     
*NO storytime on June 19
Central Park across from the Corvallis Public Library
Bring a blanket and sunscreen.
Inclement weather location: Main Meeting Room
 
INFANT STORYTIMES
Wednesdays
June, July, August 10:30am
*NO storytimes on June 11
Main Meeting Room at Corvallis Public Library
Stories, rhymes, and songs for children 0-12 months old and their caregivers.
 
SATURDAY STORIES (for all ages)
Saturdays: June 7, July 5, Aug 2, 10:30am
Main Meeting Room at Corvallis Public Library
 
LOS CUENTOS (for all ages)
Saturdays: July 19, Aug 16, 10:30am
Main Meeting Room at Corvallis Public Library
Bilingual storytimes, in Spanish and English.
 
First Readers Book Club
This book club is for kids who are reading Early-Reader books, and features a book club kit. Each kit includes a paperback copy of an early reader book, discussion questions, and a craft. If you are beginning to read and love books like Elephant and Piggie, Frog and Toad, Biscuit, and Fly guy - this book club is for you! Books and supplies are provided by the Friends and Foundation of the Library. 
The First Readers Book Club will be offered monthly during Summer 2025. Each month features a different book and activities. A limited number of kits will be available for pick-up, on a first-come, first-served basis at each library branch. Kits can be picked up starting:
  • June 7, 2025
  • July 5, 2025
  • August 2, 2025
A small number of kits will also be available for home delivery. Please contact Youth Services at  541-766-6794 for more information.
             
   June book title:  

Rainbow Days: The Orange Wall by Valerie Bolling
 
July book title:

Unicorn and Yeti: Fun and Games by Heather Burnell
 
August book title:

Yasmin the Camper by Saaidia Faruqi
 
Fun with Early Literacy: Level Up Your Math Talk!
Using math language in your everyday interactions with kids is just what children need to lay the foundation for math readiness. Simple math concepts such as shapes and quantity are easily incorporated into our lives with kids.  You can help your child develop their language and mathematic skills while engaging in fun activities by using the 5 early literacy practices - Talk, Read, Sing, Write, and Play.
 
Talk:
Try to use mathematical vocabulary when talking to kids. For example, most young children use the word "big" to mean older, or heavier, or taller - "My brother is bigger than me!". If you show them that yes, their brother is "older" because he is 8 years old and you are 3 years old, that will give them a measurement by which to compare two people. You can do the same with "taller" by measuring their height, or "heavier" by measuring their weight. Use the words "height", "weight", "age", "heavier/ lighter", "taller/ shorter", "older/ younger". This will give the understanding of different dimensions by which we compare people or things. 
 
Here are some other vocabulary words to include in your conversations:
  • Number and order words - first/ last, second, third, how many
  • Size and measurement words - more/ less, longer/ shorter, full / empty, faster / slower, distance, length
  • Shapes and attributes - round, cone, corners, oval, triangle, circle, square, rectangle
  • Directions and positions - over, above, in front, beneath, near/far
  • Operations and reasoning - greater than, total, take away, what's left, add
  • Concepts such as equal, same / different, many / few, sorting things into categories, sequence, patterns.
Read:
  • Read books that include math concepts in the story, or picture puzzle books that encourage kids to find objects. Try some of these book suggestions:
Counting dinos
by Eric Pinder

Rodrigo the Ankylosaurus and his dinosaur friends explore their prehistoric world as they count from one to ten
Five fuzzy chicks
by Diana Murray

In a springtime counting story by the author of Doris the Bookasaurus, five fuzzy chicks scatter to the cozy beds of their farmyard friends and fall asleep, challenging Mama Hen to gather them back to their coop. Illustrations.
Who sank the boat?
by Pamela Allen

The reader is invited to guess who causes the boat to sink when five animal friends of varying sizes decide to go for a row
Balancing act
by Ellen Stoll Walsh

Two mice have fun playing on a teeter-totter, but as more and larger friends join them, it becomes increasingly difficult to stay balanced
Bear in a square = : Oso en un cuadrado
by Stella Blackstone

Bear looks for shapes everywhere, such as rectangles at school and stars in the nighttime sky
Time for a hug
by Phillis Gershator

A little rabbit receives hugs around the clock
The doorbell rang
by Pat Hutchins

Each time the doorbell rings, there are more people who have come to share Ma's wonderful cookies
Blue sea
by Robert Kalan

Several fishes of varying size introduce space relationships and size differences
Ants rule : the long and short of it
by Bob Barner

The ants get together and decide how long various other insects are by how many ants its takes to measure them, including a caterpillar, ladybug, beetle, and walking stick
Mouse count
by Ellen Stoll Walsh

As a hungry snake gathers mice to eat, counting off as he deposits them in a jar, the clever mice count down as they outwit the snake and escape
Two of everything : a Chinese folktale
by Lily Toy Hong

A poor old Chinese farmer finds a magic brass pot that doubles or duplicates whatever is placed inside it, but his efforts to make himself wealthy lead to unexpected complications
Shapes
by Shelley Rotner

This bright, bold board book challenges children to think creatively about shapes in real life, like circles in the sky (the moon, the sun) and ovals (eggs, spoons and watermelon seeds). Illustrations.
Peppa Pig and the apple stand.
by Candlewick Press

In a gentle introduction to early subtraction, Peppa and her friends sell the apples from the apple orchard and meet some friendly neighbors along the way. Illustrations.
Just a little bit
by Ann Tompert

When Mouse and Elephant decide to go on the seesaw, Mouse needs a lot of help from other animals before they can go up and down
You are (not) small
by Anna Kang

"Two fuzzy creatures can't agree on who is small and who is big, until a couple of surprise guests show up, settling it once and for all!"
One pup's up
by Marsha Wilson Chall

A loveable litter of puppies encourages youngsters to count from one to 10 and back again as each wakes up in turn and wriggles, eats and plays before falling back to sleep in a furry jumble.
How much does a ladybug weigh?
by Alison Limentani

Introduces readers to counting, wildlife, and comparison by exploring the weight of animals
A pair of socks
by Stuart J. Murphy

Young children learn about the concept of matching when a lonely striped sock, searching the house for its mate, wonders if it matches a polka-dotted sock and the other socks it encounters along the way. Simultaneous.
Hide-and-seek : a first book of position words
by R. D Ornot

Follows Bear, Fox, and Owl as they play hide and seek and search for each other inside, outside, across, and through the playground
Smart George
by Jules Feiffer

"When George's mother asks him to add one plus one, two plus two, and three plus three, George would rather eat, go for a walk, and take a nap. But soon George finds himself in a colorful dream about . . . numbers!"
Measuring Penny
by Loreen Leedy

Lisa learns about the mathematics of measuring by measuring her dog Penny with all sorts of units, including pounds, inches, dog biscuits, and cotton swabs
Shape by shape
by Suse MacDonald

Bright shapes, die-cut pages, collage-style artwork, and a foldout page enhance this vibrant concept book where images are combined to reveal the identity of the mystery creature at the end of the book.
Can you see what I see? : Toyland express
by Walter Wick

A latest entry in the best-selling search-and-find puzzle series by the photographer of the I Spy books follows the life of a toy train from the workshop to the attic, where it is later rescued at a garage sale and brought to life once again in a new home, in a story told through intricately detailed spreads on which more than 250 hidden objects are placed.
Sing:
  • Singing, coupled with some visual aids, such as felt board pieces, real objects, or pictures, can help reinforce math concepts such as shapes and counting.  
       Here are some popular songs to try:
  • 10 in the Bed
  • 5 Little Ducks
  • 5 Green and Speckled Frogs
  • 10 Little Fingers
 
Write:
  • Create numbers with cookie cutters, practice writing numbers in the sand.
  • Provide scissors, crayons, paint or markers and glue, to make a collage of numbers. Developing hand-eye coordination and the practice of using small hand muscles will help kids learn to write.  
  • String beads up into a necklace by creating a pattern with colors, or shapes.
Play:
  • Make a daily challenge of finding a certain number of things in the house. For example, find 3 balls / 4 books / 5 pencils / 10 marbles. 
  • Have your child help set the table for a family meal, with one plate, one fork and one knife for each place setting. This teaches one to one correspondence, a concept that is required to count accurately.
  • Bake cookies or handout snacks such as crackers or apple slices, and have your child share the tray of cookies with each person in the family, making sure that everyone gets the same amount. 
  • Read a familiar story with a clear sequence of events several times, then ask your child to retell the story. Ask questions as you read, such as "what happened first?", "who was the second to arrive?", "what happened at the end?" Try these books: Hide and Seek by Ill-Sung Na, My Friend Rabbit by Eric Rohman, The Wonderful Book by Leonid Gore, Bark George by Jules Feiffer.
Additional Resources for Parents
Ideas for incorporating more math talk and math play around the house:
  1. National Association for the Education of Young Children: Math Talk
  2. PBS: Math Talk
  3. National Association for the Education of Young Children: Math Play at Home
  4. PBS: Math Around the House
  5. Magrid Education: Math Activities for Toddlers
 
Scholastic BookFlix

Video storybooks that are paired with nonfiction ebooks designed for preschool through 3rd grade. Collection includes book sin English and Spanish. Free for CBCPL patrons!
 
Access BookFlix today! 
 
Looking for more to do? See all programs on our online calendar.