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JaxKids Book Club

JaxKids Bookclub Owl logo

A FREE home library for every VPK student

JaxKids Book Club is a project of the Library Foundation of Jacksonville and Jacksonville Public Library that distributes a free home library every year to all registered Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten students in Jacksonville. Backpacks of books are distributed in the fall, at the beginning of the school year, to get preschoolers excited about reading and visiting the Library. Library staff travels to VPK centers to support this book distribution with storytime programs throughout the school year. We also host a series of special storytime programs every summer at the Library featuring the JaxKids Book Club books.

Send us an email at JaxKidsBookClub@coj.net with your questions about the JaxKids Book Club.

Learn and explore with these books!

In the pages of these colorful books, children will find familiar landmarks and locations around Jacksonville, while also developing the skills necessary to ensure they become strong readers. All of the books included in the JaxKids Book Club backpack are cataloged in the library’s collection and can be checked out by anyone using their library card at any branch year-round.

Find JaxKids Book Club books in the catalog

Helping on the St. Johns River by Natalie Rompella and illustrated by Caroline Brown

Join Kira and her aunt as they explore the St. Johns River and learn about how many plants and animals call the river home.

Jacksonville’s Colorful Helpers by Patricia Toht and illustrated by Don Toht

We love our community helpers! Who do you see helping you in your neighborhood? Look for a rainbow of colorful helpers as you read.

A Beach Poem by Heidi Tyline King and illustrated by Jane Easton

Can you name your 5 senses? Explore with your senses – see, touch, smell, hear and taste – as you visit the Jacksonville beaches.

Something Special by Kellie Byrnes and illustrated by Lisa Wee

A brother and sister move to downtown Jacksonville. Adjusting to life in the city can be tough but they get excited about a trip to the Arboretum.

Oscar and Olive by Nancy Stone and illustrated by Amy Webster Paquette

An active child and puppy need a friend that appreciates their personalities. Exploring friendship and pet adoption.

Sherry and Terry go to the Library by Ty Allan Jackson and illustrated by Jerrard K. Polk

Celebrate the imaginative power of books! Books come alive as Sherry and Terry walk through the library shelves.

Here We Go by Silvana Spence and illustrated by Darwin Marfi

Two girls explore Jacksonville's downtown bridges and see MOSH, Florida Theater, Riverside Arts Market, and the stadium in their travels.

Jacksonville from A to Z by Eileen Rajala Meyer and illustrated by Don Toht

A rhyming alphabet book highlighting Jacksonville landmarks and features.

Hide and Seek Animals by Jennifer Swanson and illustrated by Angel Ford

A guessing book about animals from the Jacksonville Zoo. Can you find them in their habitat?

Jackson the Cummer Cat by Judy Clausen

An adventure story about a cat who sneaks into the Cummer Museum to make art. Exploring color with fun phrases.

Rainbow Soup by Arielle Haughee and illustrated by Sharifa Park

A boy goes shopping with his dad to buy ingredients for a new recipe. A counting and color book that makes shopping fun.

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#Improve literacy skills, build language capacity, and create a better life for a child.

Illustration of a book held in the hands to illustrate reading to kids

Reading with your kids builds language and cognitive capacity. Young children whose parents read to them daily have been exposed to 290,000 more words by the time they enter kindergarten than kids who aren’t read to regularly.

illustartion of a boy and girl reading a book

Make reading interactive with our Read, Sing, and Explore activities in the back of each book. Parents and teachers who engage little ones before, during, and after reading improve language and literacy skills.

illustration of books and apple on a shelf

Having books in the home improves academic, economic and health outcomes. The more books the better, and we are happy to give four-year-olds in Duval County eight amazing books to grow their home library.

JaxKids Book Club Sponsors

The JaxKids Book Club would like to thank the following corporations who have shown that literacy and putting children first is a priority for Jacksonville. Become a sponsor of the JaxKids Book Club! Please contact the Library Foundation of Jacksonville for information.

logos for JM Family Enterprises and Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC

Support JaxKids Book Club

The Library Foundation of Jacksonville provides financial support for programs & services not funded by taxpayer dollars.