Summer reading programs have returned to the Valley Regional Library.
Head librarian Diane Ali says the annual reading programs encourage local children to start turning pages, learn the value of the library within the community, and broaden their tastes from what they might find at home or on their school library shelves.
“Reading opens [young people] up to the world, to [different] ideas, experiences, to new galaxies,” she says.
The bilingual TD Bank-sponsored Summer Reading Club regularly runs in over 2,000 libraries across Canada from early July to the end of August. The partnership with Library & Archives Canada has registered youth receive a package with a reading log, activity booklet and sheets, and stickers. The theme this year is Galaxies, Stars & the Universe.
“We encourage kids to read over the summer,” explains Whaine Villaneuva, Summer Program coordinator. “Kids lose touch [with books] because they get too busy. We want to create good habits for them and reward them [with an incentive of] a prize from the treasure box.”
The treasure box, filled with little trinkets that readers can choose from, is one of the main incentives for children to regularly return to the library over the summer. A donation by Dianne DeKezel, librarian at the Morris School, has added over a dozen books from First Choice Canada to the prize options this year.
A second, limited-run reading program on now is “Rodeo Reader.” It runs through July 12, with youth tracking every two hours of reading to put toward an entry into two draws for a day pass to the Morris Stampede and Rodeo. The tickets are sponsored by the Valley Agricultural Society.
Joana Candido is excited about the added incentive of the programs for her two children, James, 7, and Jessie, 4.
“My husband, Dario, and I valued reading at a young age and we have always taught our children that ‘a book is your friend,’” she says.
Candido loves the physical aspect of holding a book and of flipping the pages, which brings her family to the library at least weekly over the summer, and more often in the winter.
“Each child gets 6-10 books and we choose one to read as a family,” she says. “My favourite book that I recommend to all families is Our Table.”
The children’s book by Peter Reynolds shows a family disconnected by distractions and technology brought back together by the information held within books.
“It’s the time we have right now with our children that is important,” says Candido. “James has seen other worlds by learning to read: learning a word, then a sentence, and then understanding the story.”
She is proud that, for school, James was asked to mark down 120 minutes of monthly reading.
“He read 1,000 minutes every month. He received an end-of-year award from the Rosenort School for ‘Reads the Most.’
James loves books because he can learn and say new words. His favourite: the Dogman series. Younger sister, Jessie, enjoys reading because it means snuggling on the couch with her parents.
“Berenstain Bears and princess books are her favourites,” shares Candido.
Candido is quick to add that libraries are great because they don’t just contain books.
“Some people need other incentives to get them [to the library]. There are options at the library now: DVDs, magazines, and puzzles.”
She is surprised when she hears that people haven’t been to their local library before.
Access to the Libby app is also complementary through the library, allowing access to audio books, read-along books for children, and thousands of virtual books that might not be physically available at the local branch.
Youth can sign-up for the summer reading programs in-person at the Valley Regional Library from Tuesday to Thursday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. There is no cost to participate.
