Attention primary and elementary librarians and teachers and parents!

Exciting news from Colorado:  The Colorado Library Consortuim (CLiC), Douglas County Libraries and Unite for Literacy, a Colorado-based publisher funded by sponsorships, have partnered to provide access to more than 120 free ebooks for young children.

The project site shares that these early literacy titles:

are all original — books carefully crafted to connect with young children and their families. have narrated audio support with an initial goal of supporting the 300 languages that are spoken in U.S. homes. offer photographs and illustrations to authentically depict a child’s-eye view of the real world. are structured to reflect the most current research on the specific features that impact success for beginning readers of all ages.

The ebooks come with MARC records, allowing for easy OPAC uploads. To receive full MARC records and add the books to your catalog, complete this online form.  Email with an attached .mrc file will arrive within two business days, as a professional courtesy from the CLiC.

You can preview the library and read books online in multiple languages here.

Unite for Literacy’s About Us page shares its previous historical milestones–the Bali Children’s Project, the Native American Family Literacy Project, South Africa’s Ithuba Project and the Read Malawi Project, the Centennial Board of Cooperative Educational Services efforts with migrant families in Northern Colorado, and the Rotary Club. Behind the milestones are co-founders Michael McGuffee and Mark Condon, two life-long educators, who have been working for two decades to create inexpensive, culturally and linguistically appropriate picture books for children in marginalized communities. For more information: Unite for Literacy Blog Unite for Literacy Facebook Page Unite for Literacy library

from Are You Ready for School by Holly Hartman