New Siouxland Libraries sections designed for readers tackling ‘first chapters’

“Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer.”

“Amelia Bedelia, Cub Reporter.”

“Eva’s Treetop Festival.”

“Horrible Harry and the Green Slime.”

When a child moves from the “read-to-me” stage to “listen-to-me-read,” that often means the move to chapter books, where the story is divided into different sections while still being liberally sprinkled with illustrations. The various series featuring characters like Judy, Amelia and Junie B. Jones all fit into that category.

Because they tell the story in fewer pages, it can be hard to find them on the shelves among the fatter chapter books for older readers.

To make it easier for children to have reached that milestone to find the books they want, Siouxland Libraries is establishing special sections for newly independent readers. The First Chapters collections are available in the branch libraries within Sioux Falls now and will be opened in the rural branches before the end of the month.

Early reaction has been favorable, said Beth Berg, a collection development and cataloging librarian in the Siouxland Libraries’ systems support division.

“I have talked to a lot of staff at our various branches,” she said. “Parents just really enjoy having a spot to go browse these type of books. In the past, they’d have to go through the fiction books individually. They’re smaller and thinner and just get lost and make it harder to browse.”

Ultimately, the collection will contain just under 2,000 unique titles, and the library will continue to add to that number, Berg said. That represents 3,000 to 4,000 individual books.

The books are designed for children in mid-first grade and older, age 7 to 10, who are ready to transition to chapter books but still benefit from illustrations, said Berg, who has worked at Siouxland Libraries for 16 years. Since the children are not ready for 200- to 300-page children’s fiction books, these books, which average 100 pages, serve as a stepping stone.

“It’s how kids build confidence and stamina in reading and see themselves as readers,” Berg said. “Getting just the right book can build confidence in reading. We’re giving parents and kids an opportunity to find these books and browse these different options, finding what they need quickly and easily.”

An easy way to tell if a child is ready to move on to more complex books is sitting with them and listening to them read. Every time they don’t know a word, hold up a finger. If five fingers are lifted in the first couple of pages, the book is too hard, Berg said.

A public library’s purpose and part of its mission is to build a love of reading, the librarian said. The First Chapters collections will maintain the forward momentum of the budding reader. An easy-reading collection can build on reading skills and build on phonics.

“It allows kids to build the stamina they need to read a two- to three-hundred-page novel,” Berg said.

The idea behind the First Chapters collections has been in the works for a couple of years. It started in May while library administrators learned that its tutoring program, Reading Bridge, would not be offered this year.

While assembling the collection has been a collaborative effort among library associates, children’s fiction selector Kiesha Dykstra was primarily responsible.

“What’s important to Siouxland Libraries is that we are working to improve literacy rates in our community, and this is a great way to help kids gain confidence in their reading skills but also encourages them to continue reading and eventually explore more complex literature in the future,” Berg said.