Friday, June 25, 1999
Summer reading program begins
Books come to kids on traveling library
BY MOLLY HARPER
The Cincinnati Enquirer
COVINGTON — A band of pirates visited Ninth District Elementary this week.
The pirates featured in David McPhain's Edward and the Pirates, Robin Hood and a popular aardvark named Arthur were present for the “Library on Wheels” program that began Monday as part of Kenton County's free summer lunch programs.
“You can already see their enthusiasm,” said program director Patti Richards. “They're excited about checking out books on their own and the possibility of getting their own library card. These kids are readers.”
Ms. Richards, who coordinates the program for the Kenton County Public Library, will visit the four Kenton County Schools that host summer lunch programs — Fourth and Ninth District Elementary Schools, Glen O. Swing Elementary School and the John G. Carlisle School — on alternating days.
Each child will receive a temporary library card and will be enrolled in the Kenton Public Library's summer reading program. A wide selection from the public library's juvenile section will be available for them to check out.
The children will be given a reading log to tally how many books they've read. As they read more books, they win prizes, including a mystery prize at the end of the summer and a permanent library card. Ms. Richards said a program like this can give children chances they've never had before — opportunities to learn about their surroundings and worlds they've never seen.
Latonia Elementary School student Kelsey McPherson, 8, said she was glad the “library lady” was there because she gets bored easily in the summer. “I read a lot and I've finished most of the books at home,” she said.
Kelsey's favorite books star the popular Marc Brown character Arthur, a 10-year-old aardvark who experiences some of the same dilemmas as his human counterparts — getting glasses for the first time, becoming an older brother, starting school with a tough teacher.
Ninth District Elementary student Kena Lawson, 8, is partial to Arthur's younger, slightly annoying sister, D.W.
“She's more fun, and I have an older brother who ignores me, too,” she said, smiling as she got two of her favorite D.W. books. Ms. Richardson said they can barely keep Mr. Brown's books on the shelves.
Other favorites are the Clifford the Big Red Dog series and nature books about snakes and other slimy creatures. Swing Elementary Assistant Principal Bill Barron said summer reading helps students get through the review period at the beginning of the school year.
“It helps them keep up the skills they've learned over the summer,” he said. “It also prepares them for getting back to school without taking the time to go back and relearn everything they've already learned.”
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