Jason’s Reading Adventure
By Annaclaire Crumpton
Whether Maisy Mouse is going on a nature walk, visiting the library, making lemonade, or frolicking on a snowy day, three-year-old Jason Sturch has explored the world alongside this beloved character from author Lucy Cousins.
Since October 2024, Jason has read over 1,000 books and logged his reading progress to become one of the first children to complete our 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten Reading Challenge.
When asked about his participation, Jason was straightforward. “I like reading these books a lot.” He has a particular affinity for certain illustrations adding, “I like pictures of butterflies.”
The Power of Early Reading
Beyond the joys of reading with his parents and exploring new Lucy Cousins books, the Sturch’s want to set Jason up for success.
When asked why they signed up for the challenge, Jason’s mom Natalie replied, “I want to instill a love of literacy and books in my children early on because the ability to read and be curious opens doors to learning for a lifetime.”
Decades of research studies on early childhood development and literacy prove that reading with children in their first three years of life is imperative to their future learning and success. This includes impacts on their careers, relationships, cognitive abilities, and more.
According to the National Institutes of Health, more than 80% of a child’s brain is formed during their first three years of life. What they experience during this window can irreversibly affect how their brain develops.
The Joy (and Challenge) in Turning Pages
Reading is not only vital for young learners, but also fun. Jason mentioned some of his favorite things about reading throughout the challenge including, “It was really fun and fine,” and “I like when the character is meeting a new friend.”
He was also realistic about his achievement mentioning, “It was hard to read many books.”
Jason and his parents tracked their reading together with the Beanstack Reading Challenge app (available for free in the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store.) Natalie mentioned the ease of using Beanstack over the last eight months. “It’s nice because the picture of the book pops up and it’s like, yeah I did read that.”
She also said it wasn’t difficult to keep Jason motivated throughout the challenge because he loves reading, but they did keep things exciting and fresh by frequenting the library to pick out books that were new and exciting to him.
Natalie emphasized the importance of visiting the library together stating, “From young childhood through adulthood there is always something to be found and something to be discovered at the library.”
The Results and Looking Ahead
Since completing the challenge, Natalie has noticed “a huge increase in [Jason’s] vocabulary, his letter recognition, and his ability to pick up a book and read it to me based on the pictures. The 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten challenge helped lay the foundation for him to continue exploring and be curious about new things.”
Natalie is originally from Fort Collins and grew up visiting Old Town Library. She fondly remembers the time she spent as a child discovering new things while exploring library shelves.
“The library is such an amazing resource. It’s free with so many new and exciting stories and adventures. I think it’s important to just show him that it’s a safe fun space to be where you can learn and discover new things.”
We like to think that Natalie sharing library joy with Jason, reading 1,000 books together before kindergarten, and exploring all the library has to offer will build a wonderful future reader (and person)! From everyone at Poudre Libraries, congratulations Jason!
Any child aged 0-PreK can sign up for 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten! Interested in strengthening your child’s language and vocabulary skills? Start your challenge today.
