Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Summer Reading Sign-Up Starts Now!

BISBEE, AZ – Kids and caregivers looking for fun, exciting – and free! – Summer activities should head down to the Copper Queen Library today to sign up for the library’s Summer Reading Program (SRP).

Sponsored by the City of Bisbee and the Friends of the Copper Queen Library, SRP starts June 6 and runs every Wednesday until July 25, with an end-of-program pool party celebrating reading slated for July 28 on Higgins Hill.

Both the morning “Get A Clue!” events, which run from 10:30-11:30am for children up to age 8, and the afternoon “You Never Know!” events, which run from 2:30-3:30pm for children ages 9 and up, are related to this summer’s reading theme of “Mysteries.”

Special presenters include puppeteer Sylvia Dawkins on “The Mystery of Puppetry,” “The Mystery of Costumes,” and “The Mystery of Marionettes,” with participants creating their own mystery story and enacting it with their own puppet creations; mystery writer Jinx Schwartz on “The Mystery of Writing Mysteries;” ventriloquist Jim Nolander with “How Does He Do That?” and folk singer Ted Warmbrand on “The Mystery of History,” showing how songs are often related to actual historical events.

In two final programs, Detective Echave from the Bisbee Police Department will show participants “How to Solve a Mystery With the Police,” and a representative from the Border Patrol will be on hand to discuss the value of fingerprints as evidence in solving mysteries and to provide free fingerprinting for interested children (for the family’s personal records only).

Throughout the summer, the library will highlight areas of the fiction and non-fiction collections related to solving riddles, puzzles, and mysteries, and participants may set their own reading goals and choose their own titles.

In addition to attending “Get A Clue!” and “You Never Know!” programs, there are other ways to participate in the Summer Reading Program. One that might be of interest to those caring for younger children is the “Read-to-Me” program. This program offers the “summer reading” concept to infants, young children, and older children with various learning styles. In “Read to Me,” each family sets individual goals using the “Parents as Reading Partners” contract. Then, parents or caregivers read aloud to the child and record what has been read, enabling the child to participate in the game element of the summer reading program.

An option that might be of interest to older participants is the “Independent Reader” program. Independent readers set their own goals in terms of time or pages read and keep a record on time logs or on “counting pages” or “counting books” reading logs. Independent readers may read all sorts of materials – books, magazines, brochures, newspapers, online sites, and graphic novels.

Of course, children who are participating in “Read to Me” or “Independent Reader” and children who are summer visitors or whose schedules prevent attending every SRP session are also welcome to attend any event on a drop-in basis.

For further information on the Summer Reading Program, pick up an SRP brochure at the Library Circulation Desk, call the library at 432-4232, or check the library’s website for a schedule of events (log on to the City of Bisbee's website at
www.cityofbisbee.com and click the library's photo).