Book Mobile Gives Children Head Start In Reading

SAN DIEGO -- When school starts soon, some National City kindergarteners will have an advantage over their classmates.

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See How Book Mobile Helps Children

A program at the National City Public Library is aimed at getting more families to read to their preschool children. The Project QKids program is called the WOW Mobile -- it brings the library into the neighborhood.

"There are a lot of people in National City who, for one reason or another, cannot make it to the library. So we take the library to them," Dee Gonsalves, WOW Mobile coordinator, explained. "The more language a child hears, the better prepared they will be to learn to read," said Dee Gonsalves, WOW mobile coordinator.

The WOW Mobile offers a summer reading program with prizes going to children who read at least 70 books.

Gonsalves offered several suggestions for picking the right books for young readers.

"Board books are good for infants because they can put them in their mouth if they want to," Gonsalves said.

For toddlers, choose books that help them connect single words with the pictures they represent. Older children enjoy "flap books" with pictures, words and things to do.

Marie Ring makes reading fun for her three children. She hopes their dedication to books will pay off.

"They're going to have the advantage of -- hopefully, we pray -- of learning more in school. Just being able to get into colleges and everything like that," Ring said.