• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Library Offers Young Readers Summer Fun: Tulsa City-County Library System's Summer Reading Program for Children Begins Monday.

Posted on: Sunday, 21 May 2006, 09:05 CDT

By Shaun Epperson, Tulsa World, Okla.

May 21--Between them, sisters Darcy and Rowan Waller have more medals than most Olympians.

But Darcy, 12, and Rowan, 8, didn't earn their recognition for sports.

The girls are voracious readers. For longer than they can recall, they've participated in the Tulsa City-County Library system's summer reading program for children.

"I like it because it encourages you to read during the summer," said Darcy, who plans to read more than 20 books throughout the course of the program.

Library officials said the free program, which begins May 22 and ends Aug. 12, attracted more than 40,000 young readers last year. They hope that they'll beat that number this time.

For Rowan, the program isn't only about keeping up her reading, though she, too, plans to read at least 20 books.

"I like it because I miss my librarians during the summer," she said.

Helping children sharpen their reading skills while allowing them to enjoy books of their choosing is an important aspect of the program, said Lana Voss, manager of the Central Library's children's department.

The program's theme this summer is "Paws, Claws, Scales and Tales!" and it emphasizes the adventures and learning available in books.

Throughout the program, which is geared toward children in kindergarten through grade six, participants are asked to visit a Tulsa City-County Library four times and read at least eight books. Children keep track of their progress with a reading log, which is available at any Tulsa City-County Library, Voss said.

Both Rowan and Darcy said they likely will fill their reading log with works of fantasy and fiction.

"I really like myths, folk tales, fantasy and fiction," Darcy said.

Rowan agreed, adding that, "I like Greek myths and fantasy because it's interesting."

When children finish eight books, they receive a medal of achievement, as well as a booklet of coupons for free entertainment and food items from area organizations.

The program instills pride in reading, Voss said.

"Some of them come in with all of their medals from previous years around their neck," she said.

In addition to medals and coupons, readers who complete the program will be entered into a drawing for prizes. Among those prizes are computers with printers and Internet service donated by the Tulsa World and a fishing trip with KOTV Channel 6 meteorologist Dick Faurot.

If the children read 12 additional books, they also receive an inflatable clown fish bonus award.

Although the program is intended for school-aged children, younger children can participate, Voss said. The younger participants also are eligible for medals and coupons, but not for the prize drawing, Voss said.

Darcy and Rowan's mother, Mary, said the family began bringing the girls to the library when they were babies.

They usually make a trip to the library every couple of weeks to pick up new titles, she said.

"There's just something different about visiting your local library," she said. "We're just so fortunate to have such a lovely library system in Tulsa."

To complement the summer program, Tulsa City-County libraries will offer a number of free events during the summer, including performances by magicians, musicians and puppeteers.

-----

Copyright (c) 2006, Tulsa World, Okla.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

For information on republishing this content, contact us at (800) 661-2511 (U.S.), (213) 237-4914 (worldwide), fax (213) 237-6515, or e-mail reprints@krtinfo.com.

Source: Tulsa World

More News in this Category