Kids... Read the best books and vote on your favorite!
Voting open until mid March 2023

Children in grades K - 6 across Wyoming are invited to read the top books for their age group and determine which one they think is the best. Sponsored by the Wyoming Library Association and the Wyoming State Reading Council, the Buckaroo Book Award provides the opportunity for Wyoming children in grades K-3 to select favorite books they have read or have listened to and to honor the authors of these books. The Indian Paintbrush Book Award provides the opportunity for Wyoming youth in grades 4-6 to select a favorite book and honor its author. Participating helps Wyoming students:

• Become acquainted with the best contemporary authors.
• Become aware of the qualities of good books.
• Become accustomed to concepts of choice, critical reading, and voting procedures which will help them participate in choosing other book awards.
• To honor an author whose book has been enjoyed by Wyoming children.

View the Grades K-3: Buckaroo Book Award nominee list

View the Grades 4-6: Indian Paintbrush Book Award nominee list

Stop by the Children's Room for a voting card and to get started reading the best books. Voting is open until mid March 2023. One vote per child.

1000 Books Before Kindergarten

Reading to babies, toddlers and preschoolers is beneficial for their brain development and academic success. It is correlated with improved attention spans and better concentration. Early reading also ignites the child's creativity and imagination, teaches them sight words and expands vocabulary.

The 1000 Books program is designed be a fun approach to establishing strong early literacy skills. Parents, you can choose between a sticker log to simply keep track of the number of books read, a book list log so you can have a record of what books the kids have read, or download an app to your mobile device to keep track that way.

When kids reach 100 books, their photo goes up on our bulletin board. They get a sticker for every 100 books read, and when they reach 1000 books, they get to choose a book prize and the 1000 Book sticker goes on their photo.

Get started fostering a lifelong love of reading today... pick up book logs in the Children's Room.

Check out a Wonderbook

It's so beneficial to read aloud to children often and they certainly love being read to. But.... sometimes we just can't make it happen as often as we'd like. Introducing Playaway Wonderbook! Wonderbooks are print books with a ready-to-play audiobook inside. Kids can just press play to hear the story and read along. We have purchased a collection of beautiful Wonderbooks that are ready for check out now at Pinedale and Big Piney libraries. Stop in and take a Wonderbook home this week!

Preloaded Nook® HDs for kids available for check out

Any time is a great time to introduce a new way of enjoying books to your kids — our preloaded Nook® HDs allow kids to enjoy old and new favorites in a safe and age appropriate manner. Both the Pinedale and Big Piney libraries have Nook HDs preloaded with dozens of ebooks for preschoolers (most with a "read to me" option), for early readers, and for 3rd graders and up. All Nook HDs come with parental controls and do not access the Internet or games — they are just for reading. Just power up and go! Nook HDs check out for 3 weeks.

Ready4K: Text messages to boost your child's learning

Parents of preschoolers, you can now sign up for a new, free texting service that delivers fun facts and easy tips to your phone. Called Ready4K, the texting service shows parents how to boost children’s learning and get them ready for kindergarten. In the last year, the University of Wyoming's Literacy Research Center and Clinic teamed up with Stanford University to develop and research Ready4K to make this service available in Wyoming. Research shows that receiving these helpful texts can significantly increase children’s learning. Parents and caregivers with children, ages 3 to 5, are invited to sign up for the free service, which provides three texts per week. The service is available in English and Spanish.

Learn more about Ready4K and sign up