Every Year Thousands of Children in Colorado Enter Kindergarten with Below Grade Level
The Story Behind One Book 4 Colorado
Every year thousands of children in Colorado enter kindergarten with below grade level reading skills.
Research shows that children from low-income families have few to no books in their homes and are exposed to 30 million fewer words before the age of four than their higher-income peers.
If left unchecked, these factors contribute to literacy gaps which increase as children struggle to make the transition from learning to read to reading to learn.
In an effort to address this critical issue, Lt. Gov. Joe Garcia’s office partnered with Reach Out and Read Colorado, the Colorado State Library, public libraries, the private sector, and nonprofit communities to bring the Denver Preschool Program’s successful Preschool One Book, One Denver program to all of Colorado.
Introduced as part of Colorado Reads: The Early Literacy Initiative, One Book 4 Colorado fosters a culture of literacy by getting a book into the home of every four-year-old in Colorado.
Now in its second year, One Book 4 Colorado is preparing to distribute more than 70,000 books at public libraries and Reach Out and Read Colorado clinics across the state, along with Denver Preschool Program preschools in Denver.
The book will be provided in both English and Spanish and will be available to children with special needs.
The year’s finalists are: Duck on a Bike by David Shannon; Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale by Mo Willems; and Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault.
The winning book will be unveiled on May 6, as part of Colorado Literacy Week.
To learn more about One Book 4 Colorado, go to or visit facebook.com/OneBook4Colorado.
Public Votes for One Book 4 Colorado’s 2013 Selection
Nearly two thousand Coloradans voted in the One Book 4 Colorado (OB4C) book selection process from January 14 – 31, 2013.
The OB4C steering committee will consider public input along with recommendations from educators and program partners as they decide the book that will be distributed to every four-year-old in Colorado.
The result of collaboration between Reach Out and Read Colorado, Colorado State Library, public libraries, the private sector, and the foundation community, One Book 4 Colorado was created in 2012 to help families serve as their children’s first and most important teachers and instill young Coloradans with a lifelong love of reading.
Last year 70,106 copies of Maybe a Bear Ate It! by Robie Harris were distributed at local libraries, Reach Out and Read clinics and doctors’ offices across the state, as well as at Denver Preschool Program preschools in Denver.
This year’s finalists are: Duck on a Bike by David Shannon; Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale by Mo Willems; and Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault.
Coloradans can view celebrity readings of this year’s finalists produced by Rocky Mountain PBS at
Guest celebrities reading in English include Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper, Olympic gold medalist Missy Franklin, and Denver Nuggets forward Kenneth Faried.
Celebrities reading in Spanish include Denver Public Schools chief community engagement officer Veronica Figoli, Mile High United Way’s vice president of communications & marketing Benilda Samuels and Telemundo Denver’s news director/news anchor Maria Rozman.
The winning book will be unveiled on May 6, 2013 during the kickoff for Colorado Literacy Week.
To learn more about One Book 4 Colorado, go to or visit facebook.com/OneBook4Colorado.