When I was a kid, I never could get enough books. We didn’t have many at home, but my father took all the kids old enough to read to the library every Saturday. Each of us could check out 10 books, and mine didn’t always last the week. I, of course, grew up to be the aunt who gave all the nieces and nephews books as gifts.
If you want to keep the children in your life reading this summer, you have plenty of help. The Miami-Dade and Broward public library systems plan a full summer of programs, both beginning June 12.
In Miami-Dade, children and teens can participate in activities such as pirate stories, henna body art and filmmaking and win prizes such as an iPod Nano or a netbook computer. Full information at www.mdpls.org or you can call 305-375-book.
Information on the Broward summer reading program is at www.broward.org/library, 954-357-7504.
Nova Southeastern University’s Alvin Sherman Library in Fort Lauderdale also has summer reading programs for children, teens and adults. You can find details at www.nova.edu/library/summer/.
Bookstores are another source of summer reading fun. At Camp Books & Books (no bug spray needed, the store notes), free book-related activities will be offered at 11 a.m. Saturdays in Coral Gables and 11:30 a.m. Tuesdays at the Bal Harbour Shops store. Books & Books also offers story time and crafts throughout the year for those too little to read: 1 p.m. Wednesdays and 10 a.m. Saturdays in English and 11 a.m. Saturdays in Spanish in Coral Gables; 12:30 p.m. Sundays in Bal Harbour. Find details at www.booksandbooks.com.
Borders and Waldenbooks are offering a free book to children 12 and younger who read 10 books this summer. Barnes & Noble has a similar program for children in grades 1 through 6: Any child who reads eight books and fills out the Passport to Summer Reading can get one book free. Ask for details at your nearest store.
If summer travel isn’t in the budget, books can take the youngsters in your life around the world — even backward and forward in time — for little or nothing.
