PENHOLD – Mackenzie Dahl has a good head start on her reading skills, after completing her 1,000th book.
The five-year-old Penholder is starting kindergarten at Jessie Duncan Elementary School in September and recently participated in the 1000 Books Before Kindergarten program, with the 1000 Books Foundation, a non-profit organization based in North America.
She began reading for the program in February 2018 and completed it last May in just over a year. Mackenzie had a little help and encouragement from her parents and other family members.
“We read to her before bed almost every night and quite a bit during the day too,” said Elizabeth Dahl, Mackenzie’s mother. “We have books that were especially given to her by different family members and different friends.”
MacKenzie has just begun to read on her own, after having books read to her by family and friends for the past five years.
“She’s just (learning) some different words, different pronunciations and phonics,” said Elizabeth, noting some of Mackenzie’s favourite books to date have been some of the Dr. Seuss series, books by children’s author Robert Munsch, and stories like Winnie the Pooh and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
In addition to having her parents or family members read to her, she also enjoys listening to stories and following along with the help of audio books.
“I hope that reading helps with her vocabulary and communication skills (in school),” said Elizabeth. “I hope that it also helps with her creativity too.”
The Innisfail Public Library is incorporating the 1000 Books Before Kindergarten program into its Wednesday Storytime this fall.
“I think it’s amazing that MacKenzie did it,” said Tara Downs, manager at the Innisfail library. “It sounds a bit unattainable but if you do the math, it’s really not (unattainable). She completed it fairly quickly too.”
September is Library Card Sign-Up Month and families can pick up a 1000 Books Before Kindergarten package when they register for a new library card, said Downs.
“(Reading 1,000 books) is an accomplishment for them,” said Downs. “It encourages the habit of reading and the love of reading.”
