If you haven’t started reading any good books this summer, Wichita Public Libraries wants to change that. Their summer reading program is underway, which includes opportunities for pre-readers.
On a sunny Saturday morning, Angel Pando shuttles her grandchildren into the library, 2-year-old Adalise Garcia on her hip and 4-year-old Juliano Gonsalez, also known as JuJu, by her side.
Angel asks the children, “Do we like dinosaurs?” The kids scream with an enthusiastic, “Yes!”
Sara McNeil is the Youth Services Librarian at Evergreen.
“Oh yeah! We have all kinds of dinosaur books here at the library. We’ve got our favorite friend characters like dinosaurs on Dinosaur Train, and we’ve got nonfiction books about dinosaurs. So if you are into dinosaurs, we can get you something to take home.”
It’s something that Angel loves doing: Helping her grandchildren develop a love for reading.
“There are just a lot of things to keep them occupied and help them learn,” Angel says.
And she’s seeing positive results with JuJu early on.
“JuJu, you just turned 4? …When he was 3, he was with the 5-year-old groups. So I do attribute that to bringing him here and keeping him active.”
McNeil explains to Pando and her grandchildren how the “Color Our World Summer Reading Program” works.
“Families get to set their own reading goals. So, it could be books you read together; it could be visits; you [can] come to the library. It could be you wanting to visit all the libraries. Whatever it is for your family, you set your own goal and once you reach your goal, starting on the 26th of June, you can come back and get your prize. Would you like that?”
The children nodded their heads in agreement.
“Awesome, so I have these little bubble trackers for you and stickers to go with it, so this is how you can keep track of what you’re doing.”
McNeil says it’s easier now for families to set reading goals.
“In the past, we’ve been rigid about meeting certain milestones or hitting so many minutes per day, but what we found is [that] not everybody was participating and not everyone was finishing. So, what we really want [is for] people to stay engaged, set the goal and meet the goal. That gives them a sense of accomplishment and makes them want to keep on reading.”
Another goal is to get kids to read all summer long.
“There’s a term we call ‘summer slump’ in library-land, and that’s essentially when kids stop reading in the summer. They’re not prepared when they go back to school in the fall, so we want to keep kids engaged in literacy, even if it’s just coming to the library to spend time here. We’re a third place. So, this is a place outside of school, work and home, where [you] can come and gather and just stay connected.”
Connected to lifelong reading, which can set them up for success in the future. There’s a level called the pre-reader program for children who aren’t quite in school yet. In addition to pre-readers and children in the program, there is a “teens read” [program] for middle and high schoolers with prizes that reflect their challenge. Also, McNeil says, adults are not left out.
“The adult reading challenge is similar. They have a list of books that they can set as goals or there are activities; we’ve got paper trackers they can use, or they can use a reader tracker app [called] ‘Beanstack.’
Four-year-old JuJu looks intently at his artwork that includes a drawn and cut-out crow placed in the middle of the picture. With the assistance of his grandmother, Sara McNeil hands him bits of colorful construction paper that he glues to the picture. When asked what he likes to do at the library, JuJu says, “Have fun.”
The library will provide prizes for reading goals beginning June 26th. The summer reading program runs through July 31st.
