Children
Mosman Library Service has a great range of resources for children of all ages and reading levels.
All Babytimes and Storytimes are held during School Terms only
1000 Books Before School Program
The 1000 Books Before School program is an early literacy program designed to encourage parents and carers to read with their 0-5 year olds to help them prepare for school.
It’s as simple as it sounds – read 1000 books before they start school.
It’s achievable:
- If you read one book per day, you will finish in less than three years
- If you read three books a day, you will finish in less than one year
How the program works:
- To register for the program, a child’s library card is required
- You can register in person at Barry O’Keefe Library to receive printed material or online through Beanstack
- If using printed sheets mark, colour or place a sticker on your reading record each time you read together with your child
- If using Beanstack, log each book you read
Please note: once you have decided between printed sheets or online tracking, you must continue with this method for the entire duration of the project.
After reaching your first milestone of 100 books read, your child will be eligible to collect a “1000 Books Before School” reading bag. For every 100 books read after that, you can collect a merit patch to go on the bag. If you are using printed record sheets, after every 100 books read you will need to bring the sheet to Barry O’Keefe Library to collect your bag and patches. Beanstack users can also come in to the library and staff will look up your accomplishments online to receive your reward.
Every book that your child completes or listens to counts. This includes stories read at Storytime sessions, day care and playgroup.
We encourage you to use the children’s collections at your local libraries. However, you can read books from anywhere and read them as many times as you want.
The program finishes once your child reaches the goal of 1000 books, starts school or turns 6.
The 1000 Books Before School program is proudly supported by the following councils: Hornsby, Lane Cove, Ku-ring-gai, Mosman, North Sydney, Northern Beaches and Ryde.
For Babies – Babytime
A lap sit session consisting of rhymes, songs, music and movement for babies aged 0-2 years old on Wednesdays at 10.30am and 12pm during school terms.
For Toddlers and Pre-schoolers – Storytime
Encourage a love of stories, books and libraries!
Tuesday Storytime - an interactive session consisting of short stories, songs and rhymes for toddlers aged 18 months to 3 years old at 10.30 am during school terms.
Thursday Storytime – an interactive session consisting of stories, songs and activities for preschoolers aged 3-5 years old at 10.30 am during school terms.
For Children in School Years K-6
The Creation Space
It's never been a better time to drop into the Creation Space for children in school years K-6. We've begun a fresh new slate of programs, happening Monday to Friday between 3-5pm. Download our Creation Space Term 4 weekly schedule or visit the Events Mosman website to find out more.
Shorelink Summer Reading Challenge
Calling those aged between 3–18yrs! Take the time this summer to discover new authors and genres, build literacy skills and read your way to amazing prizes. This year's challenge runs from 1 December 2024 to 31 January 2025.
Participating in the Summer Reading Challenge is simple:
Register – Either in person at Barry O’Keefe Library (or any Shorelink Library) to receive your reading tracker bookmark or electronically through the Beanstack app
Read – Whether you're reading the books yourself or having the books read to you, all reading counts
Log – Keep track of your reading progress by logging every 15 minutes you spend reading or being read to
Reading tracker bookmarks and our Summer Reading Challenge activity booklet will be ready for collection Sunday 1 December 2024.
For every 1 hour you log collect a free prize from us and receive 1 entry into the major prize draw. The more you read, the higher your chance is to win great prizes– so what are you waiting for?
Online Resources for Children
Mosman Library Service has a great range of children’s eBooks, educational games and online encyclopaedias. You will need your library card to access these resources.
NSW Premier's Reading Challenge
The Premier‘s Reading Challenge is a special initiative of the Premier of NSW, presented by the NSW Department of Education and Training, to foster a love of literature and to encourage children to read widely for leisure and for pleasure.
For more information, visit the NSW Premier‘s Reading Challenge