One of our favorite things to see in St. Pete is support for children’s literacy and our public libraries. This weekend, we’re getting an opportunity to showcase both, thanks to the Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas County. This weekend brings in National Read a Book Day, and JWB’s Turbo Babies is celebrating with some great children’s read-along events around Pinellas County.

On Saturday, September 7, young families can join one of three read along gatherings happening throughout the area, all of which are completely free to attend. The Racetrack Read Alongs invites families with infants and toddlers (0-3) to come together at city libraries for guided storytime, giving young ones and their parents an opportunity to read together, make new friends, and explore the treasure troves that are our local libraries.

Interested families can register here. Each of the three read alongs take place from 10:15-11:45 am on Saturday, September 7 and will have free breakfast, entertainment, and giveaways while supplies last.

Join a Racetrack Read Along:

• St. Pete West Community Library – 6700 8th Avenue North
• Largo Public Library – 120 Central Park Drive (read along in English and Spanish)
• Tarpon Springs Public Library – 138 E Lemon St

While we await National Read a Book Day, families can also enter a drawing for a chance to win a Fisher-Price Toy Car and educational toys valued over $100. The car comes fully loaded with exciting activities, educational toys to rev up your baby’s learning, and much more. Entry is free, and details on how to enter can be found here.

The ethos behind Turbo Babies is to ensure our young ones start learning from the day they’re born. They emphasize that not only does learning start at birth, so should reading. Even just hearing new words helps their brain grow: at age one, children recognize about 50 words, and by age three they can recognize nearly 1,000 words.

Turbo Babies represents the rapid pace at which children from birth to three develop and grow. The campaign is fueled by the Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas County to encourage early connections, nurture a baby’s drive to learn, and support parents and other caregivers as their child’s first and best teachers. Follow them on Facebook to see the latest.