children's services summer reading program announced

Pet lovers of all kind are invited to join “Paws, Claws, Scales and Tales” at the Appleton Public Library. The 2006 Summer Reading Program is open to young people, birth through thirteen, with programs, prize drawings storytimes, a reading club and more.

Summer is the perfect time to enjoy reading in the children’s department at the Appleton Public Library. Children too young to read on their own can participate by way of the Read-to-Me program. The youngest participants can keep track of the number of minutes they are read to by grandparents, parents, siblings and other caregivers during the programs. Points are redeemable for prizes at the library pet store and can be spent at every visit or saved up for bigger prizes. There are variations of the reading program available for organizations and agencies.

Children who have learned to read choose from one of the library board games- Bookopoly or Readerville. When they complete the board game and read their books they can stop at the library store for incentives.

If children can’t come to the public library to participate in the summer reading program, they can register for the online reading program at http://kids.apl.org, read books, write book reviews and send them to Captain Appleton.
Young adults entering seventh grade are invited to investigate volunteer opportunities in the Children’s Services area during the summer months.

A variety of programs will be offered for all ages. Family Storytimes, presenters on Tuesdays in July at 1:30 p.m. and a kickoff program by Tom Pease on June 15 at 1:00 and 3:00 are some of the offerings this summer. There is also infant storytime and one year old storytime during the month of July. Registration for baby storytimes is required.

The summer reading program begins on May 23 and ends on August 4, 2006. The library pet store closes August 5.

The summer reading program is designed to encourage children to read for pleasure and to explore all the resources available at public libraries. As they enjoy books and other materials, children can maintain or improve their reading skills and build lifelong reading habits.

The library welcomes children of all abilities. All programs are free of charge. For more information, call the library at 832-6187 or visit the web site at http://kids.apl.org.