More than 75,000 4-Year-Olds Received a Free Book During the 2016 One Book 4 Colorado

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One Book 4 Colorado (OB4CO) began in 2012 as a statewide initiative to distribute free copies of the same book to every 4-year-old in Colorado. In 2016, the book chosen was Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae, which was distributed in both English and Spanish. More than 75,000 books were given away at more than 500 sites, including Denver Preschool Program preschools and both military and public libraries. LRS surveyed caregivers and participating agencies to learn more about the impact of this year’s OB4CO program on Colorado’s children. The results are compiled in our newest Fast Facts report.

After receiving Giraffes Can’t Dance, nearly three-quarters (72%) of caregivers who responded to a survey agreed that their child was more interested in books and reading, and more than two-thirds (68%) said that their child talked more about books and reading. Caregivers who reported reading to their child less than once a day were more likely to agree that the OB4CO book helped their child become more interested in books and reading. After participating in OB4CO, 4 in 5 (80%) caregivers felt that their community promoted a culture of reading.

The participating agencies surveyed also felt that the program had a positive impact. Nearly all agencies who responded to the survey (98%) reported that the 4 year-olds were excited to receive their copies of Giraffes Can’t Dance, and 9 in 10 (89%) said that the children talked about their book with others. Agencies also noticed an impact on the children’s parents; 7 in 10 (70%) of the participating agencies felt that parents showed an increased awareness of the importance of childhood reading and over half (54%) said that the OB4CO program brought new families to the library.

Voting for next year’s OB4CO will open in early January. Be on the lookout for the 2017 book options and vote for your favorite! More information about the OB4CO program can be found here.

Note: This post is part of our series, “The LRS Number.” In this series, we highlight statistics that help tell the story of the 21st-century library.