Education & Kids Brooklyn Boro

Brooklyn Public Library tells kids, ‘read a book on vacation!’

June 13, 2018 By Paula Katinas Brooklyn Daily Eagle
The library kicked off its Summer Reading program with a series of special fun-filled events for kids. Photos courtesy of Brooklyn Public Library
The library kicked off its Summer Reading program with a series of special fun-filled events for kids. Photos courtesy of Brooklyn Public Library
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Summer vacation is starting in two weeks for the city’s public school students, but kids should still read books even though there’s no homework involved, according to officials at the Brooklyn Public Library.

The library kicked off its 2018 Summer Reading program at the main branch at Grand Army Plaza on June 10 with a series of special events that included musical performances, games and activities to entice children to visit their neighborhood libraries and check out books during the summer. 

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There were also kick-off events at other library branches throughout Brooklyn.

The theme of this year’s Summer Reading program is “Books & Beats” and library branches will be hosting all sorts of activities to help children learn where music and literacy overlap. 

“We are delighted to kick off another season of Summer Reading,” Brooklyn Public Library President and CEO Linda E. Johnson said. “What better way to spend the long summer days than with a good book?”

WCBS-TV News Anchor Jessica Moore served as the master of ceremonies for the kickoff celebration. The day’s festivities also included a Summer Jam Dance Party with singer-dancer Elaine Gil, performances by Urban Stages, an instrument-making class with Koko Source, a petting zoo, a Teen Book Match, a Kidsmobile and summer reading program sign up.

The Summer Reading program has all sorts of features this year, including a contest in which the grand prize is a set of books. Kids can become eligible to win the grand prize by posting a book review, checking out a library book or attending one of the approximately 13,000 library programs the Brooklyn Public Library is sponsoring this summer. 

The library is also encouraging children ages 6 to 18 to enter a baseball book review contest. The winners will represent the library at a New York Yankees game on Aug. 16. 

Kids can get help with their book selections, thanks to Beanstack, the library’s online program that tracks the user’s reading progress. Children using Beanstack can center a random drawing for the chance to win a pair of Bluetooth headphones.

Last year, the Summer Reading program provided 142,000 participants with book lists, literacy-building activities, games and competitive reading challenges.

The program has an important educational component, according to library officials, who said the average student loses the equivalent of one month of instruction a year by not reading during the summer. Experts said that children from low-income families are disproportionately affected by the loss of reading time.  

 


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