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Story Time at U-GRO

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We all make sense of the world through stories. Not only is it fun for children, it’s also an essential part of development. Story Time promotes language and literacy. It also strengthens cognitive and social-emotional skills. So, why wait? Grab a book and get lost in the pages!

To support and encourage such development, our schools receive new books every other month. Each book is individually selected, based on age, to enhance learning opportunities. Children also receive classroom activity sheets that take it one step further, encouraging a thoughtful way to interact with the stories.

You can support reading excellence at home too, with our Story Time at Home Newsletter. It’s our way of keeping you in the loop with book suggestions and fun facts about language and literacy development.

The Power of Reading

A Message From Johnna Weller, Chief Academic Officer

Of all the moments you share with your child each day, reading a story together is one of the most impactful to your child’s development. When you curl up together and open a new or favorite book, you are deepening critical social and emotional bonds with your child and creating a language-rich experience that fuels the developing brain. Why is reading aloud to your child so powerful?

Stories help your child learn about themselves and others.
Picture books are filled with rich vocabulary that develops your child’s oral language skills.
Reading a book together helps your child with critical life skills, such as sustaining focus and attention, controlling impulses, and developing social skills like empathy.

Humans process and organize experience by thinking narratively, about who, what, where, and why things happen around them. Young children know this instinctively and are drawn to storytelling and books, wanting to hear them and again. When you sit your child on your lap and point to the pictures, make animal sounds, or recite favorite phrases, you’re making connections that last a lifetime.

Infants: Adventure Awaits by Henry Cole

In this exciting journey, a dog and cat explore their surroundings and are intrigued by all the new things they see, hear, and smell. On their adventure, they discover, examine, and investigate common backyard animals they meet along the way. Together, the furry friends study, stalk, stop, and listen. These action words encourage children who are able to follow simple instructions to act out the motions as they follow along with the story.

Sound like a book your child will love? Order your own today.

Toddlers: Sheep in a Jeep by Nancy Shaw

Toddlers are bound to love the shenanigans that ensue as a flock of sheep embraces an unlikely adventure through the countryside. As you might guess, they face a few challenging situations along the way! This classic, silly story is filled with hilarious tongue twisters, repeating sounds, and detailed illustrations that will inspire your child to interact with each page.

Sound like a book your child will love? Order your own today.

Twos: Red House, Brown Mouse by Jane Godwin

Colors, counting, and new concepts! The author takes you on an exhilarating adventure with every turn of the page. You’ll follow the little brown mouse as he explores the world using fun rhymes and a rainbow of observations. This interactive story is sure to keep even the youngest readers engaged. See if your child can find the mouse on every page!

Sound like a book your child will love? Order your own today.

Early Preschool: Best Day Ever! by Marilyn Singer

This delightful tale is about a sweet, energic pup who is having a good time playing with her boy, digging, swimming, and chasing the cat. However, the best day ever quickly takes a turn for the worse after a very smelly decision halts the carefree fun. Still learning, the dog makes a few more naughty choices upsetting her boy. Will this story have a happy ending? It all circles back to learning about forgiveness and the joy of unconditional love.

Sound like a book your child will love? Order your own today.

Preschool: Roller Coaster by Marla Frazee

Have you ever had the thrilling experience of riding a roller coaster for the very first time? The high-speed ride goes clickity-clack, whoosh, and zoom around the track! Pay close attention to the illustrations on each page as the riders experience many different emotions. Beware! After reading this exciting story, you might be eager to get to the nearest amusement park.

Sound like a book your child will love? Order your own today.

Pre-Kindergarten: Set Sail for PANCAKES! by Tim Kleyn

A young girl, Margot, and her grandpa are hungry for pancakes, but quickly realize they don't have all the ingredients to make them. There is no flour, milk, or eggs in the house! But don’t worry, Grandpa has the perfect solution. They climb aboard his boat, Beluga Blue, to set sail for what they need from Chicken Island, Cow Island, and Flour Mill Island. Margot and Grandpa even make a special stop for a secret ingredient. If you aren't hungry for a stack of pancakes before reading this book, you certainly will be by the end of it!

Sound like a book your child will love? Order your own today.

Junior K: Mercy Watson to the Rescue by Kate DiCamillo

This chapter book for beginners tells the story of Mr. and Mrs. Watson and their pet pig named Mercy. Mercy loves buttered toast and snuggling in bed with Mr. and Mrs. Watson, however, snuggling in bed causes a bit of an issue. After a boom and a crack, Mercy alerts the fire department that Mr. and Mrs. Watson need to be rescued! This loveable story provides a fun, lighthearted way to spark conversations with children about adventure and courage.

Sound like a book your child will love? Order your own today.

School-Age: Cornbread & Poppy by Matthew Cordell

With each page, you get to know two mice with very different interests! Cornbread loves to plan. Poppy likes to be spontaneous. As winter approaches, Cornbread works to stock enough food, while Poppy keeps busy going on adventures. When winter finally arrives, Poppy is not prepared. Together, they venture up Holler Mountain to find more food and come face-to-face with many unique challenges. The mice embrace problem-solving, bravery, and kindness to find solutions.

Sound like a book your child will love? Order your own today.