What are rare words, where can you find them, and why do they matter?

Rare words are those beyond the 10,000 words known as our Common Lexicon used in most daily conversation with each other.

You can find a great many rare words in children’s books. Children’s books have 30 rare words per thousand, while conversations between an adult and 3-year-old child typically include 9 rare words per thousand (JimTrelease: The Read-Aloud Handbook.) 

Quality children’s picture books are filled with rare words. Consider Byron Barton’s I Want to Be an Astronaut, a picture book for toddlers and preschoolers. It includes words like shuttle, mission, and gravity. These are words you might not use in everyday conversation with your young child. When you read this book aloud, you introduce him to these words, and they become part of his growing vocabulary.

Why is this important? Studies show that a child’s vocabulary upon entering school is the number one indicator of whether he will be a good reader. Trelease reminds us that by the time a child is 5-years-old, he will know 90% of the words he will use for the rest of his life. The eventual strength of your child’s vocabulary depends on how many of these rare words he knows. And the child who has heard thousands of picture books before he reaches school will have a larger vocabulary than the child that experiences very few books during his early years. 

There are thousands of vocabulary-rich books for young children. Check out the below sampling, but know it is the tip of an enormous iceberg. Visit the library often, attend storytime, and let us help your child develop a rich vocabulary through picture books.

Check out some of the library's recent arrivals for teens, below.  

If you’ve had your fill of vampires, sorcerer’s, and alien invasions, rest assured…Richland Library has something for you!

You’ve heard of speed dating... now try Speed Friending!

On Thursday, January 17, Richland Library will present Speed Friending, a fun new way to network and meet new people in your community. Bring your favorite book and come prepared to chat about it as we guide you through lively rounds of rapid friending. We’ll provide the snacks and the tunes. 

There is little in this world more important than a good education.  However, that little piece of paper, which represents the most basic level of standard education, the high school diploma, doesn’t just stand for knowledge.  It stands for achievement, perseverance, and opportunity.  Not attaining a high school diploma does not have to be a lifelong obstacle. The GED (General Educational Development) test was created to give individuals a way to earn the equivalent of a high school diploma, thereby providing greater possibilities for themselves in job and income improvement, and opportunities for higher education and military service. Starting in 2014, GED testing goes completely online, which may be more difficult for some.  So, make it your 2013 resolution to achieve this vital goal.  We have a way for you to do this at the library:

He’s baa-ack!  Fans of Darren Shan - REJOICE! 

British sensation One Direction is at Richland Library.  At least…a new biography is. 

The holiday season blows through, bursting with family and friends!  Gatherings, food, festivities, and joy…