Sunday, June 30, 2013

SUMMER READING PROGRAMS

Do your local libraries participate in the summer reading program? I am so thankful that ours do, because it’s a wonderful program with lots of fun activities for kids of all ages.

I love the summer reading program. The fact that they have now expanded it to include adult readers pleases me even more.

Books are a given in our house. We spend a lot of time at the library throughout the year, picking out books for each of us to read on our own, and also books for me to read to the kids, or for us to read together. Our ereaders haven’t cut back on the quantity of books we check out from the library, either. Of course, for the summer reading program we are allowed to only count the library books when being considered for prizes, but that is never a problem.

The youngest children receive tickets for time spent either reading or being read to. These tickets can then be used to purchase prizes, and if they reach the allotted time spent reading, they quality for the end-of-summer swimming party. They are all eligible for the special presentations throughout the summer, such as the magician, the rescue horse demonstration, and several others.

We also have an older MG and a teen program, with movie afternoons that are always a film version of recommended books. None of my kids fall into the teen category – yet – so I don’t know as much about it as I do the younger programs.

But as I stated above, the new adult program is the one that I enjoy on a personal level. Our local librarians designed it so that it’s perfect for my reading pleasure. I can read ANY novel, regardless of age level, and claim that toward my reading goal. The best thing about the program, however, is the fact that I can receive extra credit for every review I write. Since I enjoy reviewing books, this is tailor made for me. Last year I won gift certificates from several local businesses as a result of writing reviews, so it’s a win-win situation.

So check out your summer reading program at the library. If there is no program available, then perhaps you and a group of your friends could gang up on your local librarian and convince her/him to start one. But do it nicely. It’s never a good thing to get on the wrong side of a librarian.

Happy Reading!

Cordelia Dinsmore


0 comments:

Post a Comment