Life is busy. And if you work with or are raising small children, it gets even busier! One way we’re trying to help make life a bit easier is through our book bundles. We group together books on a similar theme or topic, wrap them up in a bow (or with an elastic band), label them, and put them on display in our children’s area. Folks can then check out the entire pack and walk out with three or four books on a given topic or theme.
For ECE staff, book bundles can make planning a circle time that much easier – just add some songs and rhymes, maybe a puppet or a felt story, and you’re ready to go! We try to pick themes and topics that ECE’s can readily build their circle times around – for example, concepts like shapes, colours or numbers, social/emotional themes like emotions or sharing or being kind, or topics like the seasons, ocean animals or outer space.
Book bundles are perfect for parents and caregivers, too – think topics like trains, dogs, or dinosaurs, or life-events like welcoming a new sibling, potty training or starting preschool.
I’ve seen book bundles at all sorts of different libraries – I even spotted one that had one of my books in it!
We regularly receive positive comments from ECEs and caregivers about our book bundles, and they consistently fly off the shelf, which is the best kind of feedback.
If you’re an educator or caregiver, what kind of topics or themes would you like to see represented in a book bundle?