GRAVETTE -- The Gravette Public Library held a "Walk in the Park" registration event Saturday, June 24, at Old Town Park as a kickoff to its popular summer reading program. Pages from the picture book, "Over in the Meadow" by Ezra Jack Keats, were displayed on the fence around the playground and participants could walk along the sidewalk and read the story. The event was funded by a grant from the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation.
Children attending the event had fun making mobiles featuring some of the animals from the book. Several enjoyed having hamburger meals for lunch, provided by the library advisory board's hamburger fry. All proceeds will go to benefit the library.
Registration was held for the 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten program, which promotes early literacy by encouraging parents to read to their children from birth and set a goal of reading 1,000 books before the child enters kindergarten. As children progress through the program, they will be given a prize for every 100 books read.
Saturday's event also featured signup for summer reading clubs for children, teens and adults. Themes for the clubs are "Build a Better World" for children entering kindergarten through sixth grade, "Build a Better Summer" for teens entering seventh through twelfth grade and "Good Reads for Grownups" for adults. The teen and adult programs began Monday, June 26. Weekly prize drawings will be held with teens earning an entry for each 100 pages read and adults one entry for each book read.
The children's summer reading program will begin Tuesday, July 11, and will be held from 11 a.m. to noon every Tuesday through August 8. The five-week program, which is funded by a grant from the Dollar General Foundation, will focus on the themes of Space, Discovery, Communication, Senses and Recycling. Each week's session will feature a guest speaker, games and crafts.
"We delayed the start of the children's summer reading weekly library programs until July 11 because of the Main Street construction project and the Independence Day holiday," said Karen Benson, library supervisor.
Persons who did not attend the "Walk in the Park" event may still register for the reading programs at the library, located at 119 Main Street, S.E.
Community on 07/05/2017