Read On! Read In Any Format

Many years ago, back when I was a Teen Services Librarian, I told my teens signing up for Summer Reading that I didn’t care what they read during the summer. I only cared that they read something. My standard line was something like, “you can read traditional books, ebooks, audiobooks, comic books, magazines, newspapers, wordy websites, cereal boxes, or billboards. Just read.”

My views are the same now that I’m a Library Director and a parent. As you and your family work through our Summer Reading time records and/or activity sheets, feel free to read in any format you want. We truly don’t care.

This summer, my kids have to read for 30 minutes before they can watch TV or play on anything with a screen. When they grumbled about reading being boring, I told them something similar to the line I used with my teens. My son’s eyes immediately lit up. “Really, Mom? We can listen to audiobooks? Isn’t that cheating?” Nope. Not even close.

While they’re busy playing with Legos and listening to “The Magic Treehouse” books or studying the pictures in the “My Little Pony” or “Batman” comics, they’re sharpening their reading skills and getting all the benefits of reading a traditional chapter book. Plus, they’re learning that reading is fun!

In fact, allowing my kids to choose what they read and in what format has prompted my son to say four words that I was afraid he would never utter. This weekend, we were getting ready to watch a movie when he asked, “can I read instead?”

Don’t miss this week’s Summer Reading Events:

Monday at 6:30 PM: Intro to Computers for ages 18+

Tuesday at 10 AM and 2 PM: Mad Science’s Destination Moon for ages 5 – 11

Wednesday at 10:30 AM: Storytime for ages 0 – 4

Wednesday at Noon: Free lunch for kids and teens

Thursday at 6:30 PM: Silent Library Games for ages 12 – 18

Read On: Better Than Amazon

I learned this weekend that Amazon has a subscription book box available for the kids in your life. For the low-low price of $20 per box, you can order books (four board books or two hardbacks) for children ages 0 to 12. The big bonuses for the subscription are that you’re getting the books at 40% discount and the boxes are “curated.”

I have two counter-offers to this deal.

First, if you’d like to get print books in the home of a child under five years old, I highly recommend the free Imagination Library subscription available through our Friends of the Library group. Children with this subscription receive one age-appropriate book each month that includes suggestions for how can teach their children vital early literacy skills. This subscription is free for the families who sign up. If you have a child under five you’d like to sign up, ask us about it at the library. We’ll get you the form and we’ll even turn it in for you!

My second counter-offer is also free, and ever more impressive than Amazon’s. Using only your library card, you or your child can have up to 20 books each month! Granted, you need to bring them back after 4 – 8 weeks, but still! 20 books! For free! You can even upgrade your selections to include audiobooks or DVDs at no extra charge. Our trained staff can help you curate the selections at any time. We’ll simply need to ask a few questions to understand your interests or the interests of your child, then we’ll offer helpful suggestions designed to give you the best reading experience possible.

Don’t have time to come to the library? No problem! Simply download the Overdrive app on your smartphone, tablet, or computer and check out up to six books, audiobooks, or videos for two weeks at a time. Overdrive even works for free on Amazon’s Kindle devices.

 

Read On: Kids in the Library

When school is closed but the library isn’t, I always have to refresh my memory on library policy regarding children in the building. Now that my son is old enough, by library policy, not to need me by his side while he’s in the building, it’s more difficult to say “no” to his requests to come to work.

I still have a little time before my daughter is old enough to enjoy the same freedoms so I’m using her restriction within the building and sincere jealousy that her brother gets to do things she can’t do as reasons to send him on to daycare. I have a feeling both the Rérat kids will make appearances once she’s six.

(In the spirit of full disclosure, my son has very little interest in hanging out with his mom while he’s here. He likes the library for the computers, books, and internet.)

The official policy on kids in the building is:

“Children five years of age and younger must be accompanied by a responsible caregiver at all times. Children eight years of age or younger may not be left in the building without a responsible caregiver under any circumstances. Library staff is not responsible for the supervision and/or safety of unattended children.”

Speaking of bringing your kids to the library, don’t miss our toddler storytime on Wed. at 10:30 AM. Our beginning song is all about moving making noise, so don’t worry if your kids have a hard time sitting still and staying quiet. It’s always an exciting time for the kids and a good opportunity to meet other parents.

For teens this week, we’ve got Teen Night on Thurs. at 6:30 PM. At the time of this writing, our plans are not set in stone, but I have it on good authority that this month’s Teen Night will involve the dismantling and reuse of technology.

Next Thurs. at 7:00 PM is our Bullet Journaling workshop for adults! Don’t miss it!

Read On! Audiobooks

We’ve officially kicked off our Summer Reading Program with the 36th Annual Turtle Race, which was a lot of fun. Congratulations to all the winners!

This week, we’re hosting storyteller Robert Lewis for both our adult event (tonight at 7 pm) and our children’s event (tomorrow at 10 am and 2 pm). Robert Lewis is one of our favorite presenters to have at the library. He is engaging, informative, and entertaining. It’s the perfect trifecta! The Cherokee Nation is offering an amazing gift to our community through Robert Lewis and his stories.

Have you picked up your Summer Reading Program supplies yet? It’s not too late! We’ve got something for everyone!

If you’re searching for time to read for yourself or to your kids, I heartily recommend audiobooks. In my family, audiobooks are a staple in the car. For us, they’re a quick way to get a few minutes of reading in while we’re driving around town.

This summer, we’re listening to more kids’ audiobooks (downloaded to my phone from Overdrive) than anything because my son is trying to fill up his Kids’ Reading Record Sheet. Audiobooks, while without some of the mechanics of visual reading, offer the same experiences and hone similar skills. From reading comprehension to language development, audiobooks are a bonafide form of reading (and are perfect to use toward Summer Reading Program time goals). Plus, the whole family can enjoy and discuss the same book at the same time. It’s like a mini book club!

We have a nice selection of audiobooks on CD at the library and an even larger selection of downloadable audiobooks via Overdrive. Head to our website (www.pryorlibrary.org) to search our online catalog for audiobooks – both physical and downloadable. And, as always, if you need some recommendations, we’d love to help with that too!