DOWNLOAD the Mayor's Reading List. A collection of children's books in French and English, available to borrow at the Timmins Public Library.

Developing strong literacy skills can start in the early critical years from 0-5, according to the 1000 Books Before Kindergarten Program, an initiative designed to encourage reading to newborns, infants, and toddlers. It’s something that Mayor Michelle Boileau has put into practice with her young daughter Rosalie. To help celebrate Family Literacy Day, and the Timmins Public Library and EarlyON relaunch of the program, Mayor Boileau has released the Mayor’s Reading List, a collection of eleven (11) books that have become favourites in her home.

“Reading together, in both French and English, is one of the best parts of my day,” said Mayor Boileau. “It lets me practice mindfulness and connect with my daughter, while we work on her reading and language skills. It’s really rewarding.”

The collection includes stories about noisy bears and dancing giraffes, little foxes who won’t sleep, and an illustrated book from a favourite sitcom all about friends.

This Saturday, Mayor Boileau will head to the Timmins Public Library for their Family Literacy Day Celebration between 10:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. The 1000 Books Before Kindergarten Program has been revamped to include an interactive and engaging way for children and parents to track their reading progress. The program includes hands-on story tracking, themed adventures, and an enhanced reading experience.

“We’re good at remembering to read, not as good at remembering to track each book,” admits Mayor Boileau. “We’re excited to start tracking and we’ve checked with the library to make sure all of the recommended books are available to borrow.”

How do you read 1,000 books before kindergarten? Read one book a night and after one year, you will have read 365 books. That’s 730 books in two years and 1,095 books in three years. It’s never too late to start and celebrate the joy of reading.