Books and Beyond: Special Collections for Kids

From play-based activities to challenging hands-on resources, we invite members to take a broad approach to learning with children. Our Youth Services team has developed several unique collections to foster literacy and learning.

The PlaySmarts collection highlights hands-on learning resources with different developmental focuses for kids from birth to age 13. From learning to count to learning to code, this collection will help make any educational experience fun!

Read the Rainbow is a literacy collection unique to the Cambridge Public Library. Dozens of kits and hundreds of individual titles are classified at colour levels – from sight words and phonics at the Red and Orange levels to chapter books at the Blue level. Members are encouraged to self-assess and choose what colour best suits where they are. Just jump in and jump around – you'll love reading the rainbow together.

Wonderbooks are children’s books with a built-in audiobook, allowing kids to listen and follow along as they read. Each book also includes a learning mode with questions to boost comprehension and literacy skills. These books can help you cultivate a love for reading and improve literacy skills.

Decodable books use simple, phonetic words, helping kids build confidence as they learn to read. Designed to align with phonics instruction, these books gradually introduce new sounds and skills, making early reading easier and more effective. Decodables are for older kids too. These books maintain age-appropriate content while using controlled vocabulary and phonetic patterns to support the development of literacy skills.

Wherever your young reader is on their literacy journey, your library is here to help them on their way.