On Feb. 8, Layla King, three-and a-half-month-old daughter of Angel and Loren King of Mars Hill, became the 100th member of the Babies and Books Program at the Caribou Public Library.
Babies and Books was started in 2000 by the Friends of the Caribou Pubic Library and Cary Medical Center. From birth through their first year, this program promotes reading by providing babies with an early start with books.
When babies are born at Cary Medical Center in Caribou, there is a letter in their traditional gift bag from the library. Attached to the letter is a card inviting parents and baby to visit the library, trading the invitation card for the child’s first library card.
At the time of their first library visit, the child receives his/her very own board book — free of charge. An invitation is also given at this time to attend “Mother Goose Time,” a program for children from birth to 18 months of age, which is offered in the spring and fall each year.
“The library finds that the children who go through the ‘Babies and Books’ program and who join the Mother Goose program, are more apt to continue on to our Toddler Time program, for children 18 to 36 months of age,” said Jean Shaw, children’s library. “From there they join Story Time for 3 and 4 year olds.”
“After the children enter school, there are summer programs and other special events available for them at the Caribou Library,” Shaw said. “Children who start young reading and read through their teen years most likely will become life-time readers. It has been proven that children that are readers excel in academics throughout their school years,” Shaw added.
Shaw and Diane DuBois, library director, presented Layla with a gift basket filled with items including the children’s book, “10 Little Rubber Ducks,” written by Eric Carle; a big, bright yellow, plush yellow duck, and a new pink spring outfit complete with chapeau, among other things.
The first baby who was registered for the Babies and Books Program was Collin Lima of Limestone who was born at Cary Medical Center on Feb. 10, 2000.
