Summer Reading

Every year it is just amazing how quickly Summer Reading passes and how much fun everyone has. This year's theme One World, Many Stories has been a great way for children to learn about people from other countries and about the countries themselves. Every week we put up a new map,and the young people have really enjoyed finding various places on each map.

Weekly programs have highlighted different continents. This past week found us 'down under' in Australia where we learned about interesting animals that are not found any place else in the world. Young people learned, for instance, that a red kangaroo can move at over 30 miles per hour. They also learned what a marsupial is and that wombats are nocturnal as well as habitat destructive. In addition, the older children experienced a didgeridoo, a boomerang, and a bullroarer. Toward the end of the week, SCCC student and native Australian Nathan Nelmes came to charm the audience with his accent and to share interesting information about Australia. The library is so fortunate to have these young people available and willing to share with us.

Summer Reading will be coming to a close on July 1. Those who are signed up need to remember to get their reading logs turned in by 1 p.m. on Saturday, July 2.

The final week will feature the continent of Africa. On Tuesday at 1:30, there will be two speakers from that continent. These young men are also SCCC students. On Thursday the Lee Richardson Zoo will be sending an employee from their education department with a special program. These programs are always quite popular. Make sure you plan to arrive early in order to get a good seat and because zoo regulations require that no late arrivals be admitted for the safety of their animals.

Lots of reading has gone on this summer--between the 300 plus children birth through age 12 who are signed up for the program, our teens, and our adult summer readers. One teen set 120 hours for a reading goal and reported in the middle of week four that her goal had been reached! That's an amazing amount of reading.

When young people read things of interest to them, they may not realize that they are also helping to strengthen their reading skills. This leads to academic success, which every parent desires for their child. Parents are to be commended for getting their children involved in this worthwhile program and for setting an example by reading themselves.

Lots of fun books are coming being placed on our shelves weekly. One such title is The Voyage of Turtle Rex by Kurt Cyrus. This book chronicles the hatching of a sea turtle in prehistoric times. This book is a wonderful selection for dinosaur lovers. There seem to be a plethora of sheep books lately. Hide and Sheep by Andrea Beaty finds Farmer McFitt trying to shear somewhat illusive sheep. In this clever counting book, he finally gets the last one sheared as it follows young Mary and heads into school. Another recent sheep book addition is No Sleep for the Sheep by Karen Beaumont. Poor sheep is fast asleep, complete with teddy bear, in the big red barn until a duck quacks loudly at the door. Once duck and sheep are fast asleep, a goat comes to the door. Several other animals disturb sheep's sleep.

A new book by Denise Fleming encourages shouting and is titled Shout! Shout it out! This book encourages kids to show what they know. It goes through numbers, the A-B-Cs, colors, and several other fun things.

Pig Kahuna by Jennifer Sattler is a cute book to show children to not be afraid to try new things. Big brother pig Fergus loves the beach but avoids the water due to the ickiness factor. Check this one out to see what happens when a surfboard floats onto the shore near Fergus and little brother Dink.

Several chapter books have also gone onto our shelves. Whatever your reading preference, come on in and check out our materials, both old and new. See you at Memorial Library!