June 2025

Fort Bend County Libraries (FBCL) will continue its annual tradition of welcoming newborns to the wonders of books. Every Fort Bend County baby born during FBCL’s Children’s Book Week -- June 1 through 7, 2025 -- may receive a special baby book bag, courtesy of the Friends of Fort Bend County Library.

Each bag contains a book, a bib, a special certificate, a list of suggested reading for children, and information on parenting and on library services. These bags represent the library system’s commitment to providing library services for county residents throughout their lives, beginning at birth.

“We hope to start every child born in hospitals in Fort Bend County on a successful road to life-long learning,” says Dana Brittain, Coordinator of Youth Services for FBCL. “We distribute the baby book bags to babies born during that week at area Fort Bend County hospitals, but ALL Fort Bend County babies who are born during the week of June 1 through 7 are eligible to receive one, while supplies last.”

Families of Fort Bend babies born at other locations during this period should call the Youth Services department, at 281-633-4762, to receive their book bag, while supplies last.

Not only is reading to a child a wonderful opportunity for bonding between parent and child, it has also been shown to stimulate brain development. Even the youngest baby can benefit from the chance to develop eye focus by looking at the page of a book, while being comforted by the familiar voice of a parent. Reading aloud to children exposes them to the sounds and cadences of a human voice, resulting in an earlier and stronger grasp of vocabulary skills.

Helping children develop early-literacy skills is a major goal for FBCL. Parents are encouraged to register their children for FBCL’s annual “Summer Reading Challenge.” Children from infancy through high school earn rewards for the number of books they read (or are read to them) during the summer.

Parents can register their child for the Summer Reading Challenge by clicking here and using the link for the Beanstack app to sign up. Easy-to-use online reading logs are available. 

Families with newborns and pre-walking infants up to 12 months of age are also invited to attend Mother Goose Time activities that take place weekly at several locations in the library system. Mother Goose Time provides caregiver/infant multi-sensory circle-time activities -- including simple sign language, folksongs and lullabies, and finger plays -- that are especially designed to stimulate babies’ social, emotional, and physical development through rhythm and music. Click this link for the schedule of Mother Goose Time activities throughout the system.