Library hosts summer reading program

Summer allows students to rest their minds after a busy school year. 

Too little cognitive stimulation, however, can result in a “summer slide,” when students lose some of the knowledge and skills they’ve worked to acquire. 

The Homewood Public Library aims to combat the slide through its annual summer reading program, which kicks off with a party on May 30 at 6:30 p.m. 

“For educational reasons, getting kids reading during the summer helps with their progress so that they don’t lose the skills that they’re developing,” said Molly Saunders, a Homewood library technician. 

The summer reading program is open to a wide range of ages, from birth to 12th grade. Saunders said close to 2,000 kids participated in 2018.

This year’s theme is “Alabama has a Universe of Stories” and is related to the state’s bicentennial celebration.

“It’s a weird Alabama history, space mashup, but we’re real excited about it,” Saunders said. 

Program participants will log the pages they read throughout the summer. Once they surpass certain page thresholds, they will become eligible for prizes like coupons from local businesses. There also will be weekly prize drawings, along with a grand prize drawing for a bike from Cahaba Cycles. 

 “For every five books they check out, they get an entry into the grand prize drawing,” Saunders said. 

Registration for the summer reading program, which culminates in early August, begins May 20 and can be completed by visiting homewood.beanstack.org. For more information about it or other library summer programming, visit homewoodpubliclibrary.org.