Tomorrow the school bells ring for the last time and summer begins. What a great time to be a kid. In the old days (that would be my old days – the 1960s and 70s) we were turned loose to explore the world around us. We had woods, fields and creeks as our kingdom. I imagine the crawdads were on high alert.
Zoo Knoxville provided an exhibit on bugs for the Festival of Reading.
It seemed a safer time, although that might have been because we didn’t have 24-hour news warning us of every scary thing. Nowadays, kids experience summer differently – with more structure and supervision – but the fun and the crawdads are still out there. There’s real value in being a free-range explorer and discoverer. And even without a nearby stand of trees or a crawdad-laden creek, there’s still plenty to uncover.
Knox County Public Library has bookshelves filled with adventures. Just cross The Bridge to Terabithia or step through the wardrobe into Narnia.
Summer is a perfect time to fall in love with reading. Books can take you across oceans, through time, and into the hearts of characters from all walks of life. The key is to let kids choose what interests them – be it about race cars, basketball players, outer space or animal tales. Graphic novels and audiobooks are especially great for emerging or reluctant readers. Whatever the format or subject, the benefits of summer reading are tremendous – from boosting imagination and empathy to improving attention spans and vocabulary. And we know it helps prevent the academic “slide,” so kids head back to school in August ready to learn.
We kicked off our summer with a bang at the Children’s Festival of Reading on Saturday. It was an incredible day filled with thousands of smiling faces enjoying everything from the UT’s Insect Zoo to puppy story time. The authors and illustrators may have had just as much fun as their fans!
When we invited Kevin Lewis (Chugga-Chugga Choo-Choo) back to the festival, he jumped at the chance. He remembered the event so fondly – which is saying something, since he rarely attends book events anymore. Elliott Smith, author of this year’s One Book Read City title, Baseball Blowup, was thrilled to join us. He signed books for nearly four hours and even led the Parade of Books with Zander and Mayor Jacobs!
This summer’s Read City challenge is reaching for the stars – literally.
Our theme is Curious Minds: The Sky Above Us. Pick up a gameboard at any library location and complete fun activities like “read outside under the sky” or “read a book about something that flies.” Earn prizes for identifying constellations or attending a library program (and there are lots to choose from).
There are even storybook trails in the woods that count toward your goal. I highly recommend the trail at Collier Preserve along Beaver Creek near the Powell Branch Library – or try Ijams Nature Center if you’re hoping to spot a crawdad or two.
Here’s to a summer full of reading, exploring and wonder.
