Is it possible to get Questa kids to read books during summer vacation? Our children have proved it IS possible! Each child was encouraged to read and was awarded a ticket at each session to enter a drawing to win a new bicycle.
We met for our Summer Reading Program twice a week for six weeks. It all sounds so simple but some children found it difficult since not only did they have to check out and read books from the library, but they also had to be able to tell a library volunteer about what they read. Parents and other family members were enlisted to read to the younger children. One reader reported reading 50 books.
Summer reading is about other reading-related activities too. We learned about oceans, ocean creatures, water, lakes, streams, rivers, fish, and other river life forms, and even our own acequias! We helped muralist Mark Lewis Wagner draw a longer-than-life-sized blue whale on our parking lot, learned about our own Questa trout from the fish hatchery, and enjoyed Jenny Kostecki-Shaw’s latest book, Papa Brings Me the World. Jenny even showed us how to make our own journals!
Our favorite magician, Kyle Groves, thrilled us with his magic tricks and taught us the magic words, “I LOVE TO READ!” Later, our new Border Collie friends “sailed the Seven Seas” in search of buried treasure, and we learned to talk like pirates. A Forest Service representative introduced us to tiny creatures that live under rocks in our local rivers. Who knew there was so much life under those rocks? And what about all that plastic in the water and clothing in the landfill? We did our part by recycling our T-shirts into carry-all bags!
Along the way, we made new friends and read lots of good books. The final day of this year’s program might have been the best; there were surprises, games, and many prizes. “Blue Bear” from Blue Cross Blue Shield came to teach us how to practice good dental hygiene. We read about Otto the Goldfish and took home a goldfish bowl in hopes of someday owning our own little pet.
Finally, nine kids — Ella Vigil, Elvalie Vigil, Naryan Blue Shaw, Aliyanah Martinez, Jocelyne Ortega, Aria Duran, Donavan Ortega, Olivia Montoya, and Michkayla Jadlocki — left the library with a new bike of their own, a nice reward for continuing to read during summer vacation. Be sure to congratulate them, they earned it!
