Calling all book lovers! As the school year draws to a close, libraries all over the province are gearing up for another summer of contests, activities, prizes, and most of all –– reading!
For school-aged children (finished kindergarten and older), the summer reading club provides encouragement to keep reading through the summer.
“Studies have shown that good reading habits benefit children in the summer. Summer reading clubs help maintain reading levels during the summer holiday break,” said Vernon youth services librarian Monica Gaucher.
Just as important, however, is that children have fun at the library and have plenty of opportunity to choose the books and activities they want.
This year’s summer reading club theme is savour each word with many special activities planned during the month of July, including workshops, crafts, weekly book prizes, contests and loads of fun!
Children who join the club will receive a reading record, as well as stickers as they reach their reading goals. Upon completion of the entire reading record, they will receive a certificate and a medal.
Although the many free programs extend throughout July (all require pre-registration), the focus is on crafts for the first half of the month.
Children can choose to make a foamy seahorse, a yarn bug, dancing monsters, a magical beans mosaic, or a rainbow bookworm.
A rhythmic art program is featured on July 22, followed by a fun-filled program on July 26 about the secrets of simple machines, presented by the staff from Okanagan Science Centre.
The zany clown Uncle Chris makes his return later in the month, and international award-winning native storyteller Tom McCormack concludes the program lineup.
For more information about these exciting programs, visit the Vernon library in person and pick up a summer reading club booklet or go online to www.orl.bc.ca (look under locations and click Vernon).
For serious book lovers who want to get even more fun from their summer reading, we’ve also brought back our book club, a single one for readers in Grades 2 to 6.
Meetings will be held once a week, on a drop-in basis, and readers are invited to share their favourite book, preview books, enjoy goodies, and win prizes.
Teen readers are not forgotten this summer with their own national online reading club.
Check out the fabulous website, www.teenrc.ca for booklists, contests, a chat forum, blogs, book reviews, web links and more.
Savour each word at the Vernon library this summer.
–– Maureen Curry is the chief librarian with the Vernon branch of the Okanagan Regional Library. Her column, Off the Shelf, runs every second Sunday in The Morning Star.
