Large Print: Not Just for Older Adults! Introducing ICPL's New Collection of Juvenile Large Print Books

The benefits of Large Print books for individuals who are visually impaired has been well-documented. But recent research from Project Tomorrow, an educational nonprofit, also suggests that students in grades 3-12 who read large print books developed stronger reading skills, felt more comfortable reading, and developed a more positive reading mindset. Particularly for struggling and reluctant readers, access to large print books significantly increased reading comprehension, retention, and enjoyment. Students at one school in the study increased their reading levels by 2-3 times the average expected growth for their grade level.

That's why ICPL, thanks to a generous grant from the Iowa City Pilot Club, has introduced a collection of Juvenile Large Print items! Our opening collection comprises almost 120 titles (both fiction and nonfiction), and this collection will be growing, with new titles hitting the shelves each month, including contemporary classics, award-winners, bestsellers, and high-interest titles. The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, the Harry Potter series, the Percy Jackson series, Hidden Figures: Young Readers Edition by Margot Lee Shatterly, Katherine Applegate's Wishtree, and last year's Newbery Medal winner by Meg Medina, Merci Suarez Changes Gears, are just a few examples of what is now available in Large Print! Find the entire jLarge Print booklist here.

The books themselves are no thicker than their traditional counterparts - publishers make use of smaller margins and thinner paper, among other strategies, to keep the physical books looking nearly identical to their smaller-print versions. You can find the jLarge Print books interfiled on the shelves with the traditional juvenile books, alphabetically by author's last name, but the Large Print will be denoted by a sticker on the spine. Any of our librarians would be happy to help you find the jLarge Print items as well.

None of this would be possible without the support of the Iowa City Pilot Club, a service organization focused on influencing positive change in communities around the world. Thank you, Pilot Club! Not only will this collection help meet the accessibility needs of youth who have visual impairment, but also those who learn differently or who are working on building their reading skills. Come check it out!