The Children’s Summer Reading Program returns to C.H. Booth Library on Tuesday, June 23. The annual incentive-based program is held to promote reading while school is out for the summer.

Alana Bennison, head of the children’s department at the library, encourages all parents and children to get involved.

“It’s all about finding the right books for each child, and it’s about improving the ability to recall and retell stories,” said Ms Bennison.

This goal will be achieved with the help of the young adult volunteers from the program’s beginning to its end on August 15. Around 45 volunteers, ranging from seventh grade to twelfth grade, will be assisting the program.

Parents may bring their children to the library at any time during regular hours, on any day of the week, and find a volunteer to sit down and talk with their children about what they are reading. This is something that makes the program so important, according to Ms Bennison.

The children respond well to the volunteers and are able to discuss what they read one-on-one, and the volunteers themselves take away a meaningful experience as well, according to Ms Bennison. She noted that many of the volunteers return from summer to summer.

“The nice thing about summer reading is that the emphasis should be on what kids want to read, not what they have to read,” said Ms Bennison.

The program offers incentives for reading books, as well. For every five books a children complete, they receive a coupon for a slice of pizza or other small prizes. A new feature includes a gift offered by the Friends of the C.H. Booth Library for any child who reads 20 books: a $5 certificate for the Little Bookstore, according to Ms Bennison.

The Little Bookstore is a second-hand bookshop located on the second floor of the library, next to the circulation desk.

This summer, according to Ms Bennison, the program will also include raffles with prizes such as Kindle Fires, Amazon gift certificates, and more gift certificates to the Little Bookstore. Each child will receive one raffle ticket for every five books read.

“The more you read, the better your chances,” said Ms Bennison. “We’re here to make it fun, we’re here to make it enjoyable, we’re here to make it easy, and to provide a little incentive.”

The purpose of the summer reading program, according to Ms Bennison, is to find books that children would be interested in — books that parents, or the children themselves, might not know about.

The library also offers art programs and interactive classes for children over the summer, according to Ms Bennison, to keep them interested in learning. But the summer reading program, she added, is a great way for both parents and children to become familiar with the library.

“Matching a child with a book they might be interested in is a challenge, but is also the most rewarding part of what I do,” said Ms. Bennison.

Summer reading has been proven to have a positive impact on children returning to school, Ms Bennison cited from a study by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. In fact, the same study stated that reading no books over the summer may cause what Ms Bennison called “the summer slide,” putting children who do not read behind their peers.

“It’s important that parents understand that they need to support their children in their summer reading efforts; they need to bring them to the library, bring them to bookstores, bring them reading materials, and dedicate time to reading,” said Ms Bennison.