Sedona Library heats up for summer

By David W. Keeber | Sedona Public Library

Sedona, AZ - June 6, 2008 - School is out! Summer temperatures are climbing and kids are at loose ends for the next three months.  Few things can strike fear into the hearts of parents as well as that. Parents are looking for ways to keep them occupied, keep their minds active, and ensure that they don’t lose the skills acquired during the school year.

Sedona Public Library offers some great news for anyone faced with this challenge – Summer Reading Program!

Every year, the library offers reading-related activities for children from 2 to 18 years of age through the Summer Reading Program. This year’s theme is Catch the Reading Bug. The program runs from May 31st to August 9th and there are lots of fun activities, programs, and reading planned for children. And if the kids are a bit reluctant, just tell them that there are no reports to write and no required number of books to read. Summer Reading should be fun and our Youth Services Library has a great summer planned. This program is funded directly by the Friends of the Sedona Library through memberships and funds raised at the book sales they so ably put on every year.

Every child participating in this program does need to register, but there is no cost and registration takes only a few minutes. We ask for the child’s name, age, and contact information (so they can be invited to the end-of-Summer party), as well as their goal for reading throughout the summer. After that, things are on automatic.

As the child reads throughout the summer, they track the number of hours spent reading, using a form we provide for this purpose. The more hours, the more opportunities for prizes and the cooler the prizes, too. In addition, there are many programs scheduled that provide kids of all ages with activities and information on the topic of insects. There are cooking classes, a beekeeper, a program on growing worms, sing-alongs, spiders, storytellers, a handwriting analysis program and much more. Throughout the entire summer, kids will find lots to do here at Sedona Public Library.

In spite of all the great programs, the ultimate goal is to encourage children to read and to maintain their reading skill set. Our Youth Services Librarian, Pam Comello, has worked tirelessly to build a collection of books, videos, DVDs, books on CD and tape and much more for readers of all ages. Whether you child is just listening as others read to them, or deeply engrossed in reading, they will find lots to keep them reading that will hold their interest.

Take for example the Read-Along books we offer parents of children only just starting to read. These clever books include one page for the child to read and one page for the adult to read. These two pages face one another and give the child the opportunity to mirror the behavior of the older reader, thereby further cementing the reading skill set in them.
From there up in age, we offer so many excellent titles.

We have a wonderful Young Adult section for teens who might not otherwise be caught dead in a library, reading. We offer titles in English and Spanish, a bi-lingual reading tool that will encourage both reading and speaking skills. The list of the various types of books we offer would take almost this entire column. It should suffice to say that the collection we offer to child readers is extensive, up to date, and very interesting to all styles of readers. You only need to bring your child over, make sure that they have their own library card, and then turn them lose to find what interests them. If they are unsure of themselves in the Library, staff is all able to help them in finding the perfect read.

By the way, just as with the Read-Along titles, parents can model reading skills regardless of the child’s age. All you need is a book, a specific time that you call family reading time, then turn off the television, find a comfy chair with good lighting, and you’re off to a great start. We even had books on how to create a family reading time in our Parenting section!

Keep your kids involved with reading all summer long. Sign them up for our Summer Reading program and help them develop the lifelong habit of reading, the very best tool for success!

Past Library News issues: Sedona Library Archive

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