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Friday's Internet Edition, November 21, 2008.
‘Catch the Reading Bug’
Library kicks off summer reading program
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Librarian and storyteller Neva Cosby shares with the children a West African folktale called “Why mosquitoes buzz in people’s ears.” The story was filled with African animals and was brought to life by colorful felt cutouts and the theatrical voice of Cosby.
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By Kymm Griffin
Staff Writer
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The Marian O. Lawrence Public Library kicked off their summer reading program last week with a safari-styled bug hunt. This year’s summer reading program theme is “Catch the Reading Bug.”
More than 50 children were introduced to the world of bug books by the library staff in a night filled with storytelling, a bug hunt and a chance to sign up for the program.
The evening opened with a few bug jokes, such as “Why does the spider hog the computer?” “Because it has its own Web site.”
After the jokes and bug riddles, the program was then turned over to storyteller and Martin Luther King Librarian Neva Cosby. Cosby used felt cutouts to retell the West African folktale “Why mosquitoes buzz in people’s ears.”
After the story, young volunteers participated in retelling some the library’s best bug books and helped capture the reading bug.
“Summer reading is all about reading for fun,” said librarian Diane Christensen. “It’s not about reading for points, or answering questions on a test, or about reading at a certain grade level.”
Christensen encourages children of all ages to use this time to explore the world through reading and rediscover the art of getting lost in a good book. Christensen says that, within in the pages of good book, time will seem to stand still as the reader is mentally transported to another place and time, allowing the reader to return to reality refreshed. In a sense, reading a book can feel like an escape to a mini-vacation.
The evening also offered a great opportunity to earn some community service hours for Meridith Smith, 12. Smith has participated in the program many times and will log her community service hours for a future college application.
“I thought the program was fun,” said Smith. “It’s a fun way for kids to learn and have fun reading.”
This year’s summer reading program is running a little differently this year. In the past, students made a list of the books they read and turned them into the library for small prizes. This year’s “Catch the Reading Bug” program emphasizes the vast variety of adventures and new learning that is available by discovering many different types of books.
To participate in the program, kids pick up a green bingo card with 25 squares. Each square suggests a different reading adventure, such as “Read a mystery or science fiction book,” “Attend a library program,” “Read a book with red on the cover,” and “Read to a pet.” Participants then list the book titles on the back of the bingo card.
After marking off five squares in a row, children return the card to the library to receive a small prize and to be entered into a drawing for a $50 gift card for Target. Two drawings will be held, one for preschool and school age children and a second drawing for teens and adults.
The public library is able to pay for all of the prizes and entertainment by pulling together the resources of the Friends of the Library from all of the different chapters within the Sacramento Public Library system.
The library is hosting a variety of events for all ages during the summer:
For pre-readers, programs are held at 11 a.m. and include What Bug is That, Going Buggy over the Fourth, Friends of Bugs, and Butterflies Away.
For elementary age kids, programs are held on Tuesday evenings starting at 6:30 p.m. and include Bugsy Brown, Private Fly with the Swazzle Puppets, Creepy Crawlers with Python Ron’s Reptile Kingdom, The Frog Prince with The Fratello Marionettes, A Magical Tour of the Universe with The Astro Wizard, Caterpillar Puppet Show with the Caterpillar Puppets, You Can Learn a lot from a bug with storyteller Randel McGee, and The Magic of Chin-Chin.
For teens, the library is hosting a movie night on June 27 at 7 p.m. For teens who enjoy crafts, the library is offering supplies to make safety pin bracelets and T-shirt transformations on July 10 at 4 p.m.
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