Kansas City, MO - Get your library card ready. The Kansas City Public Library’s 2018 Summer Reading Program kicks off Friday, May 25, 2018. This year’s music-infused theme is Rock & Read.
Patrons will receive a free book by registering at any of the Library’s 10 locations or online at kclibrary.org/summerreading beginning Monday, May 21. Once participants have read five books from May 25 through July 31, they can return to the Library for another great prize.
For the second year in a row, the adult and children’s summer reading program will take place simultaneously.
Crystal Faris, the Library’s director of youth and family engagement, says it’s important to encourage families to read together. “We know from research that young children seeing their parents read reinforces for them that this is a behavior they should have,” she says.
It also sets young people up for future successes in life. “If children are reading at a third-grade level by the third grade, they are more likely to graduate from high school, more likely to have a significant career, more likely to be functioning adults,” Faris says.
Director of Reader’s Services Kaite Stover encourages adults to register as well. “We want to remind adults that reading is a great leisure activity that can boost productivity in the areas of comprehension and concentration. Not to mention it’s stress relieving.”
Readers of all ages can take advantage of the Library’s multiple formats: physical books, audio books, and e-books. All are free.
There’s another incentive for children and teens to register: they will qualify for Library fine forgiveness.
“We know many kids experience a summer slide in their reading levels,” Faris says. “We want to make sure children and teens can use their library cards and there’s nothing holding them back.”
This year’s theme, Rock & Read, stresses the importance of music when it comes to reading. Research has shown a relationship between rhythm and rhyme in helping children learn to read. Faris says that’s why Library story times incorporate songs. “We know that ‘talk, sing, read, write, play’ are the key components to early literacy,” she says. “Singing is just as important as reading aloud, playing, and learning to scribble with a pencil.”
For more information on the Summer Reading Program, go to kclibrary.org/summerreading.