#Welcome to the JaxKids Book Club
The JaxKids Book Club was established in 2005. It provides all Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten (VPK) children in Duval County with a backpack of 8-10 books that feature local attractions, a “Flat Pete” dog cut out, a bookmark, and information about the Library's early childhood programs and links to register.
#What's Included?
The Backpack: Let’s break down the contents of the backpack (which happens to be the perfect size for a Kindergartner to use!):
The Books: The books feature local attractions in Jacksonville, such as the Jacksonville Zoo & Gardens, the beaches, area museums, the Library, and more. Families can learn together about the points of interest where they live. At the end of each book are a few pages containing family literacy activities. These include questions to ask before, during, and after reading the book, as well as a craft activity, a simple snack recipe, and a song, each themed to the book.
“Flat Pete”: Pete the Dog is character featured in every book, so a flat cut-out version is included in the bac
kpack, encouraging children to share their own adventures with Pete!
Program Information Card: Each bag includes a card with information about the Library's JaxKids Book Club Summer Storytime Series and early childhood programs and QR codes to connect parents & caregivers to sign up for programs.
#How Do You Get a Backpack?
The majority of the backpacks are directly distributed to all Duval County VPKs (public and private) in the month before school dismisses for the summer. If a child doesn’t receive a backpack through a VPK, they may get one from the Children’s Department at any Jacksonville Public Library location.
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Programs
The Library has several opportunities to learn with JaxKids Book Club friends:
- April-May: some VPKs receive a visit from Library staff who present a story time program to promote the upcoming JaxKids Book Club backpack distribution
- June-July: there is a six-week themed summer reading program series just for the JaxKids Book Club.
- Occasionally throughout the year, there are special JaxKids Book Club events at select libraries.
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#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. Without the generous support of these corporations, the program
would not be in existence today.
