Each year libraries across the country offer reading programs to engage the community and encourage reading while school is out for the summer. At the West County Pines & Plains Summer Reading Program Kickoff on May 31, kids lined up to try the brightly colored bounce houses amid waves of bubbles. The event at the Elizabeth Library also included face painting, free popsicles, a petting zoo and a barrel train. The theme this year is “Color Our World,” described as “emphasizing colors in animals, art, botany, food, music, science, and space.”
The East County Kickoff came a few days later, on June 3, at the Simla Library. Everyone who signed up for SRP in Simla received a free slushy. The reading program officially began on June 1 and will run through July 31.
Susan Byrne, director of Pines & Plains Libraries, said: “We are thrilled to be kicking off our summer reading program, which is the library’s biggest event of the year.” Studies show that summer reading programs help prevent the “summer slide” that children experience between school years, she explained.
“If you’ve been meaning to get back to reading more, this is a great opportunity to start,” Byrne said. “We have prizes for the most minutes read in every age category from adults down to the littles who need books read to them.”
Debbie Uphoff, a retired teacher, encouraged her granddaughter to attend the event. “I think it’s important to read during the summer so the kids don’t lose their love of reading,” she said. “The kickoff hopefully reminds the kids to keep reading and track their progress.”
Byrne emphasized that reading doesn’t have to be a chore and readers are encouraged to read whatever they enjoy. “Any kind of reading goes,” she said. “Listening to a book? Count those minutes. Reading an article on the internet? Count those minutes, too. Reading the back of the Cheerios box? Count your minutes as you crunch!”
Research shows that reading has a wide range of benefits. It increases intelligence, improves memory, reduces Alzheimer’s risk, lowers blood pressure, improves sleep and can even increase a person’s lifespan.
Kids who read perform better in school and show improved comprehension and communication. They also show increased attention span, have greater concentration and develop empathy. “Kids who read gain emotional intelligence,” Byrne said. “Reading fiction has been shown to build empathy in study participants, and empathy is what one article calls the glue that holds society together.”
Reading aloud to children also shows marked benefits. Kids who are read to regularly show improved language skills, increased concentration and discipline, improved imagination and are better prepared for academic success.
SRP registration is available now on the Pines & Plains website or in-person at any library branch. When people register, they receive a bag with program information and other goodies. Preschoolers through high school seniors also receive a brand new book.
There are four registration categories: Preschool, Elementary (K-5), Teen (6-12), and Adult. The top three readers in each age level will receive a prize, ranging from gift baskets to Amazon gift cards. The top prize in each category is a gift certificate to the Cave of the Winds. Attending library events can also help readers win more points.
Visit the Pines & Plains Libraries Events Calendar at pplibraries.org/03-activities to see what’s coming up next. Storytimes will continue throughout the summer, including some extra special storytimes at area parks. The next big event at the Elizabeth Library will be the Active Minds; Van Gogh Program on June 14 at 10:30 a.m.
For more information, visit the Pines & Plains Summer Reading Program website at pplibraries.org/03d-summer-reading-program.