1000 Books Before School

A colorful cartoon owl resting on a branch, with the message "1000 books before school" in bold, eye-catching text.

Join 1000 Books Before School and make your home a reading home!

Enjoying books together is the best way to help your child develop a love of reading. Reading daily encourages a love of language and story, helping to build vital skills that will set them up for success at school and beyond.

All children aged up to five years old are invited to sign up. It’s free, and any book counts – whether at home, storytime, playgroup, creche or kinder. You can even read the same book over and over again!

We’ll help you get started, support you along the way, and make it a whole lot of fun!

Register now
A man and a little girl sit together, happily reading a book, sharing smiles and enjoying their time together.

It’s easier than you think

Reading 1000 books before school is easier than it sounds. With most picture books taking about five minutes to read, you’ll be surprised how quickly the pages add up!

  • 3 picture books a day (15 minutes)
    Finish 1000 books in less than a year.
  • 1 picture book a day (5 minutes)
    Finish 1000 books in less than 3 years.
  • 1 picture book each weekday (5 minutes)
    Finish 1000 books in less than 4 years.
1000 Books Before School goodie bag, including a reading log, canvas bag, activity pack and picture book.

So let’s get started!

  1. Register your child using the link below, or visit your local library.
  2. Download the ‘1-100 Reading Record sheet’.
  3. Colour in or place a sticker for each book you read together.
  4. When you’ve read 100 books, visit the library to collect a reading record booklet, along with a special library bag and merit patch. (If you can’t make it into the library to collect your booklet, please get in touch, and we’ll post you one).
  5. For each 100-book milestone, visit the library to collect a merit patch for your bag and stickers for your reading record.
  6. At 500 books, visit the library to collect a bag of goodies to celebrate being halfway there.
  7. At 1000 books, it’s time to celebrate! Visit the library for a graduation certificate, a photo in our selfie frame and a free picture book.
A woman and a child sit on a couch at Castlemaine Library, reading a book together.

It’s never too late to start!

While newborn babies may not understand the words you’re saying when you read to them, reading aloud gives information about the world around them and helps build communication skills. Each time you read, your child hears your voice change as you convey emotion, tone, and express sounds. They watch you point at the pictures and turn the pages. Then, they start to copy you, mimicking the sounds you make and recognising the pictures on the page.

In just 5-10 minutes a day, you’re helping boost their language, social, emotional and motor skills—all while having fun!

Em Chandler in a yellow vest and vest leads children in a fun Rainbow Families storytime session at Woodend Library.

We’ll support you along the way

As you and your child grow to love reading together, you’ll discover a world of books. Visit your local library to explore thousands of books, or check out our digital collections online.

Story Box Library features Australian stories read aloud by Australian storytellers.

Access talking picture books through Tumble Book Library.

Browse BorrowBox, Libby or uLibrary for thousands of eBooks, eAudiobooks and eMagazines.

And don’t forget, Storytimes and StoryWalks count, too!

Discover more in our eLibrary.

Boobook owl photo and illustration side by side

The Southern Boobook Owl

Our mascot for 1000 Books Before School is the Southern Boobook Owl. Known for its distinctive ‘boobook’ call, the Boobook is the smallest and most common owl in Australia, often spotted throughout central Victoria. We chose this charming little owl as our mascot to inspire young readers with its unique character.

Download the info sheet to read more.

Supported by Bendigo Communities for Children.