It always happens this time of year. I remove our gigantic family calendar from the wall and fill it in with a plethora of summer activities for the kids. This year (and I'm not kidding), we've got piano, guitar, swimming, dancing, acting, volunteering, T-ball and travel.
Our summer promises a lot of fun and excitement, but one of the most anticipated dates is one circled in early June. On that day, our kids will sign up for the Pikes Peak Library District's Summer Reading Program. The library's summer reading program is free. Kids can sign up throughout the summer and keep track of their reading using a handy-dandy form provided by the library. The more the kids read, the more free prizes they're eligible to win. In the past, prizes have included Sky Sox tickets, swimming and roller skating passes, ice cream and milk shakes, and discounted tickets for area attractions. More than 20,000 kids in the Pikes Peak region typically participate in the program. My heart warms thinking about all those book pages flipping.
Parents, grandparents and caregivers can help support kids in their summer reading by offering rides to the library and assistance choosing books. I, of course, love suggesting books to my kids.
While helping them pick books, I often discuss age-appropriate choices with librarians, as well as consult the library's lists of award-winning books. The John Newbery Awards list, for example, is a treasure of great reading. Some of my favorite Newbery winners include "The Higher Power of Lucky," "The Tale of Despereaux," "A Single Shard," "Bridge to Terabithia," and "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH."
One of my most-loved children's authors is E.B. White. His books lend themselves well to reading aloud, which helps get parents involved in the activity. And because White's stories are so engrossing, readers of all ages find them appealing. While I enjoy every work by White, I absolutely love "The Trumpet of the Swan."
"The Trumpet of the Swan" follows a young trumpeter swan named Louis, who enters the world lacking a voice. A boy who respects nature, Sam Beaver, attempts to help Louis, as does Louis' father. In the end, though, it is Louis who must help himself.
"Trumpet of the Swan" is a thing of beauty, especially when there's a child flipping its pages.
For more information about the summer reading program, visit ppld.org or your nearest library branch.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
Your summer sounds even busier than ours! We have baseball,dance, guitar, swimming and vacations planned. My kids read a lot anyway, but good reminder to check out the library summer reading program. My kids love the library!
I haven't read Trumpet of the Swan in ages. That would be a good one to reread!
KELLY:
What?! No summer dance classes?!
Sounds like a good reading program. My parents never enrolled me in a reading program when I was a kid and I kind of wish they had. I've spent the last five years reading books I should have read in my youth.
PMM: Same here, but I'm enjoying reading the books as an adult, anyway. It's fun working through the Newbery list. I wish I could get paid to read aloud to kids.
Post a Comment