Each year, Indiana librarians nominate five picture books with high artistic quality and compelling narratives for the Indiana Early Literacy Firefly Award. It is children who ultimately decide the winner. Children ages 0-5 can vote for their favorite Firefly nominee at any of our ten locations or online from April 8th through July 31st.

This award encourages children and caregivers to interact with one another while reading.  During the months of April and May, each of our ten branches will have a display featuring all five Firefly books for you to read. Activities based on each book will rotate between locations.

How to Vote
It’s easy!

• To vote on paper, go to any St. Joe County Public Library location and ask for a voting ballot. If you prefer to vote online, you can go directly to the online voting form.
• Read all five books, then place a check mark beside your child’s favorite book.
• Return the voting ballot to the ballot jars at each branch.  Ballots will be accepted until July 31st.
• Don’t forget to pick up your prize from the desk before you leave.  Your child will receive a mini Bubble Party, a reading sticker, and the chance to add a firefly stamp to our Firefly Jar.

9:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Saturday, November 4, 2023
Main Library, 304 S Main St, South Bend, IN 46601

The St. Joe County Public Library is pleased to welcome children and families to its annual Explore-a-Story program at Main Library. On Saturday, November 4, participants can immerse themselves in a story and explore their library while taking part in early literacy activities based on the book I Am You by Refiloe Moahloli. Explore-a-Story supports the Library’s goals to grow and sustain readers and spark curiosity to learn.

This year’s program focuses on the book, I Am You: A Book About Ubuntu by Refiloe Moahloli. “It is a charming story based on the Ubuntu philosophy that ‘we are all connected.’ This Explore-A-Story event is an engaging way to teach early literacy while celebrating kindness and friendship with fun activities,” said Wanda Dudley, Programming Coordinator for the library.

At this year’s Explore-a-Story, children ages 0-5 will enjoy making music, art, and participating in fun, engaging activities with Rhythm to You, the Raclin Murphy Museum of Art, and Children’s Museum of South Bend.

Parents and caregivers can also bring their children to a special Storytime and Babytime in the Story House. “Storytime will be a celebration of community and kindness. We will read the book I Am You, move to rhymes, sing along with the ukulele and dance with shakers & scarves. It will be a high energy experience for all,” says Sandy Francoeur, Youth Programming Specialist at the library.

View the full schedule for Explore-a-Story. 

Each year, Indiana librarians nominate five picture books with high artistic quality and compelling narratives that support early literacy for the Indiana Firefly award, but it is children who ultimately decide the winner. Children ages 0-5 are encouraged to cast their vote for their favorite of these books at any of our ten locations or online.  Voting will begin May 1st and continue until July 31st.

During storytime, you may hear librarians say that reading is the single most effective way to help children get ready to learn how to read. This award takes that knowledge one step further. The Indiana Center for the Book recognizes the importance of children taking ownership of their reading by allowing children to choose what books they want to read.

However, this award is not just about providing books for children.  The purpose of this award is to encourage children, parents, and caregivers to interact with one another while reading together.  During the month of May, each of our ten branches will have a Scavenger Hunt that will give examples of how to incorporate early literacy activities with your children that relate to the Indiana Firefly Award nominees.  We hope that this inspires you to incorporate early literacy activities with your children into your daily lives.

How to Vote

Participating in the voting process is easy.

1. To vote on paper, go to any St. Joe County Public Library location and ask for a voting form.
2. Make sure you and your child have read all the books available, then help your child circle their favorite book on the voting form.
3. Return the voting form to your branch. Each branch has voting boxes to make the experience even more special. If you prefer to vote online, you can go directly to the online voting form. Ballots will be accepted until July 31.

We’re excited for your children to read these great books, which touch on fun subjects such as cats, insects, and paletas! We can’t wait to see which book your children will choose!

Do you ever wonder how much your young toddler is truly absorbing from the story you read? Do you ever think that reading a short story to them doesn’t make an impact on their learning? The truth is it actually does. The younger you begin reading to a child, the more beneficial it is for their early language and literacy development. A child starts to learn language before their first year of life, and learning continues to build from there through the support of their family or caretakers (ASHA, 2022). One of the easiest things that a parent can do to promote early literacy and language development is to engage in storytime with their child. Language and literacy go hand-in-hand; with a strong language foundation, literacy skills can develop earlier and enhance school readiness.

Early literacy skills begin to develop between the ages of 3 to 5 years, which is known as the preschool period. Children develop three important literacy skills during this time: phonological awareness, print awareness, and alphabet knowledge (Pence & Justice, 2017). These three skills are heavily dependent on the child’s early language that they have developed during their first three years of life.  Early literacy skills are a predictor of later school performance for the child; the stronger their skills are when they begin school, the better for their overall development (Shahaeian et al., 2018). Reading to children at an early age can give them a head start in literacy and have a positive effect on their future academic achievements as well. 

Storytime has many benefits for children other than promoting early literacy and language development. It can help develop their concentration, social skills, communication skills, and encourages their imagination and creativity (Kids Kingdom Early Learning Center, 2022). Also, taking the time to read together can promote bonding between you and your child. It is never too early to start reading to your child, nor is it ever too late to begin! 

Storytime is offered at St. Joseph County Public Library locations. Designed for families with preschool children ages 3 to 5, Storytimes promote early literacy skills through books, rhymes and songs.

Mondays – 10:30 a.m.
German Branch

Tuesdays – 10:30 a.m.
Francis Branch
Tutt Branch

Wednesdays – 10:30 a.m.
Centre Branch
Francis Branch
Western Branch

Thursdays – 10:30 a.m.
Main Library
River Park Branch
Lakeville Branch (alternating)
North Liberty Branch (alternating)

References

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (2022). Reading and Writing (Literacy). American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. https://www.asha.org/public/speech/development/literacy/

Kids Kingdom Early Learning Center. (2022). Benefits of storytime for a child’s development. https://kidskingdom1.com/2022/03/benefits-of-storytime-for-a-childs-development/

Pence, K. & Justice, L. (2017). Language development from theory to practice. Pearson.

Shahaeian, A., Wang, C., Tucker-Drob, E., Geiger, V., Bus, A., & Harrison, L. (2018). Early shared reading, socioeconomic status, and children’s cognitive and school competencies: six years of longitudinal evidence. Sci Stud Read, 22(6), 485–502. doi:10.1080/10888438.2018.1482901.

Written by Brianna Knisley
Graduate Student in IUSB’s Speech-Language Pathology program
Expected graduation: May 2023