School may soon be out of session, but reading is in! Throughout the week of June 6-13, all Dallas Public Library locations will kick off the Mayor’s Summer Reading Club for kids and adults, offering a variety of family-oriented activities that may include performances, bounce houses, face-painting, balloon animals, carnival games and more. (Go to dallaslibrary.org/msrc for a schedule of parties at each location.)
Guests were invited to attend the kick-off party at North Oak Cliff Branch Library from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m., which included princess/prince- and superhero-themed activities. Kids got their photos taken with Disney’s Princess Elsa (from Frozen) and Marvel’s Spider-Man, plus enjoyed a variety of crafts including prince and princess crowns, bracelets, superhero capes and masks, and more.
In addition, library staff recruited children and adults to sign up for the Reading Club. And because children model behaviors of the adults in their lives, grownups are especially encouraged to make reading a family affair by joining the Reading Club!
Young club members can earn weekly incentive prizes – from free books and fun foods to zoo, circus and baseball tickets – simply by reporting that they have read 30 minutes per day in person at any Dallas Public Library or online at dallaslibrary.org/msrc. Grand-prize drawings will be held for kids who read at least 30 minutes a day for eight weeks. Adults can also enter grand prize drawings by logging books they read.
Regular reading keeps academic skills sharp, inspires curiosity, enhances comprehension and vocabulary, and best of all, puts in place the habit for young people to become lifelong readers and learners. For more than 40 years, the Dallas Public Library’s summer reading program has encouraged more than 250,000 children to read. The Mayor’s Summer Reading Club is a collaborative effort between the City of Dallas Mayor’s Office, the Dallas Public Library, Dallas ISD and dozens of community sponsors and donors.
