Patti McAnally, director of the Perry Memorial Library in Henderson, was recently on WIZS’ Town Talk to discuss current and upcoming library programs, including summer reading.

“Although we are currently in the middle of summer reading, there are still a lot of opportunities to get involved,” said McAnally.

Parents interested in getting their children involved in the program may pick up a reading packet in the Youth Services Department. Children will have the opportunity to reach weekly reading goals and complete their reading log to be eligible for drawings and prizes.

Parents of participating youth will also be eligible for entry into an adult drawing for prizes if their child completes their summer reading log. “We figured that kids probably haven’t done it by themselves,” McAnally said. “Their parents have helped read to them and encourage them.”

In addition to being fun and keeping kids occupied during the school break, the summer reading program is also beneficial to academic retainment. “Summer reading is especially important because ‘summer slide’ can happen. There have been several studies done on this and it refers to students losing some of the academic gains they make during the school year over the summer,” McAnally said.

While staying engaged in school-required reading material may be difficult for some, McAnally believes summer reading can help children discover a genre of books that truly interests them. “What I like about the library’s summer reading program is we don’t have a required list of books; kids can read what they want. I think this helps them develop a love of reading for fun.”

The summer reading program will conclude with a finale in the Children’s Storytime Kiva on Friday, August 3 at 4 p.m. BoHo the Clown will provide character antics and family fun for this event.

Youth summer library programs include:

Totally Tweens – Ages 8 – 12 – Mondays at 5 p.m.

Story Explorers – Ages 5 – 11 – Tuesdays at 5 p.m.

Books & Babies – Ages Birth – 2 – Thursdays at 10:45 a.m.

Mother Goose Storytime – Ages 2 – 5 – Thursdays at 11 a.m.

LEGO Fun Club – Ages 5 – 13 – Thursdays at 4 p.m.

The Perry Memorial Library is located at 205 Breckenridge Street in Henderson. Visit their website at www.perrylibrary.org for additional information on children and adult programs.