# Let's Get Duval Reading!
Mayor Deegan’s River City Readers is a citywide literacy challenge for students of all ages. Participants are asked to read 20 minutes a day and to log their reading in Beanstack, a reading challenge app. Readers are rewarded with digital badges for logging multiple days in a row and for completing other reading-related activities. At the end of the year, the city’s top young readers are given prizes!
Click below to learn how to download and use Beanstack:
# A New Bookmobile Supporting River City Readers
As the River City Readers challenge continues into its second year, Mayor Deegan, Kids Hope Alliance, Jacksonville Public Library and others are excited to bring this message of literacy and a love of reading into every neighborhood in Jacksonville via a new Bookmobile. It has already started rolling out, delighting readers at library and community events across the city. Look for the River City Readers Bookmobile in your neck of the woods soon for book giveaways, literacy resources and more.
Find out where in the community it will appear next!
Please note: The Bookmobile is operated by Jacksonville Public Library and was purchased with generous grants to the Library Foundation of Jacksonville from the Lucy Gooding Foundation and PNC Bank Foundation.
Get Free Digital Resources and Reading Apps
Did you know? With your library card, you have access to educational games, databases, and homework help resources online, anytime! Find tons of kid-friendly and age-appropriate content like e-books, movies, music and TV shows on popular Digital Library apps like Libby, Hoopla and Kanopy. Many even offer a Kids Mode or other parental controls for worry-free browsing. There are also e-book platforms like Tumblebooks that are just for kids (grades K-6)!
Explore the Digital Library! Find Educational Games!
Take Home Book Bundles and Themed Activity Kits
Make family time learning time when you bring the library home!
Traveling Tales are a collection of convenient book bundles and themed activity kits for parents of preschoolers, ages two to five, that you can take home! It's storytime, any time!
To get a Traveling Tales Kit, you'll first need to pick a theme and place a hold. Materials for each theme are contained in a sturdy bag and can be picked up (and returned) at any library location.
Find a StoryWalk® in Jacksonville
If you've never seen one, a StoryWalk® is a series of mounted posts, found on walking trails and in public parks, featuring pages from a children’s picture book. You can find the newest StoryWalk® along the LaVilla Link of the Emerald Trail (near the Butterfly Garden) on Johnson Street, between W. Duval Street and W. Church Streets. It is presented by Baptist Health, in collaboration with the Library Foundation of Jacksonville and Groundwork Jacksonville.
You'll find another StoryWalk® in Historic Eastside at A. Philip Randolph Heritage Park (1096 A. Phillip Randolph Blvd., Jacksonville, FL 32206). This StoryWalk® is presented in collaboration with Jax Parks, Historic Eastside Community Development Corporation, Lift Jax and Read Jax.
# Library Programs
Jacksonville Public Library has everything kids and their families need to make learning fun: from interactive storytimes for families with Little Readers (from birth to age five) to exciting hands-on Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (S.T.E.A.M.) activities for children ages 5-12.
Early Literacy & Learning Programs (birth to age 5)
You want your child to have all the tools they need to start school. Little Readers is the toolbox! We start with a story they'll love, and add music, get everyone up and moving and then we sprinkle in other fun to make it all stick.
Have children with sensory sensitivities? Try Sensory Friendly Storytime. It combines storytime components with supportive elements. Note: We’ve also limited attendance to enhance the experience.
Reading & Hands-On Activities (for ages 5-12)
Is your child into Science, Technology, Engineering or Math? Explore S.T.E.M.-based books and hands-on activities with our Junior Scientists program (for ages 5-8) at the Library! If they're more creatively inclined, bring them to Junior Artists (ages 5-8) so they can express themselves! For the best of both worlds, (STEM + Art), check out S.T.E.A.M. & Stories, (for ages 5-12). These programs are an opportunity for your child to engage with their peers, enjoy a good story, and participate in themed games or crafts.
Find other popular homeschool and afterschool programs like Discover Lab, Analog Gamers Hangout, and more on our events calendar!
Looking for programs and services for youth, ages 12-18? Check out our Teens page!
#Upcoming Events and Programs
Check out recent book recommendations and activities in our Library Academy archives!
Early learning activities (Birth – Age 5) you can do at home or in the Library! Get your child ready to read with books, songs, crafts, and other activities that you can enjoy together.
Activities for Elementary age children (K-5th Grade) that you can do at home or in the Library! Engage with books, e-books, fun crafts, and more while developing key literacy skills along the way.
