Abstract

At a time when children’s access to diverse books is shrinking due to censorship, book bans, and public library closures, classroom libraries have become critical sites of literacy development, identity formation, and imagination, particularly in PK–3 classrooms. This practitioner-focused brief synthesizes research from the science of reading, culturally relevant pedagogy, and literacy access studies to argue that classroom libraries function as essential instructional conditions rather than supplemental resources. Drawing on scholarship related to reading volume, representation, motivation, and foundational skills development, the guide offers practical, research-aligned guidance for curating PK–3 classroom libraries that support phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension while affirming children’s cultural, linguistic, and social identities. Classroom libraries are positioned as spaces where skill mastery and meaning-making coexist, fostering both early reading proficiency and positive reader identity.

Comments

This publication was developed to support PK–3 educators navigating literacy instruction amid increasing restrictions on access to diverse texts. No external funding supported this work. The author’s scholarship centers on literacy, equity, and justice in early childhood and teacher education contexts.

Keywords

Classroom libraries; PK–3 literacy; science of reading; culturally relevant pedagogy; reading identity; book access; early childhood literacy; representation in children’s literature; foundational reading skills

Date of this Version

2026

DOI

10.5703/1288284318495

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