June 2006

Summer Reading:

Local Library Summer Reading Programs

The 2006 statewide Summer Reading Program for libraries, “Paws, Claws, Scales and Tales” for children and “Creature Feature” for teens, offers a full array of opportunities to learn about pets, working animals and wildlife. Interactive performances, creative activities and prizes are all free.

Timberland Regional Library System (includes Thurston, Mason, and Lewis Counties). 1-800-562-6022 or 360-704-4636. www.trlib.org.

Preschoolers and school-age children are invited to pick up a book bag at their local branch, complete with reading club materials, as soon as school is out. Hundreds of animal-related events will be offered district-wide during the summer, including two headliners who will perform throughout the Timberland system.

Hans Meyer will play guitar, mandolin and Native American flute while singing ear-tickling songs about the everyday concerns of childhood. His hilarious songs include “My Brother Eats Bugs!”

The Activated Storytellers will present a pair of musical, energy-filled plays, The Dragon of Krakow, a Polish fable about a boy and a sleeping dragon, and Following the Buzz, a Japanese tale of a man who dreams of following bees to a pot of gold.

Guest presenters will talk about – and often bring – a variety of creatures, from rescue dogs and reptiles to 4-H show hens. Storytellers will celebrate pets and wildlife that live in books and imaginations.

Instead of being required to read specific numbers of books, pages or minutes, reading club participants will be asked to bring lists of what they have read and provide feedback on the programs they have attended. Everyone who does this by the end of August will receive coupons for free pizza and admission to area attractions. Library branches will also award extra prizes from local businesses throughout the summer.

Timberland Library will sponsor pet food drives to benefit local animal shelters and food banks. Marked boxes will be available at all 27 Timberland branches.


Kitsap Regional Library. 360-405-9100. www.krl.org.

To help keep reading skills sharp, Kitsap Regional Library is challenging kids to read for 10 hours during the summer. Those who sign up and track 10 hours of reading (15-minute increments for young children, 60-minute increments for teens) will receive a free paperback book and a ticket to the 2006 Kitsap County Fair and Stampede. Super Readers, who read more than 20 hours, will receive an invitation to a special awards event.

Sign-up for this year’s club begins June 17 at local branches, followed by more than 50 free special events in July and August. Performers include the Reptile Man, Roberto the Magnificent, Puppets Please, Jeff Evans, Alley Oop, Brothers from Different Mothers, the Brian Waite Band, Buck and Elizabeth, Nancy Stewart’s Animal Crackers, and Charlie Williams, Noise Guy. All events will be held on Tuesdays. For schedule and library locations, call or visit the Web site.

Pierce County Library System. 253-536-6500. www.pcl.lib.wa.us.

Kids and teens can read books, magazines or any other reading material to earn rewards and enjoy free programs throughout the summer. All 17 libraries will offer free programs for kids, and six will offer programs for teenagers. Registration will be required for some programs.

Kids are invited to read books, comic books or anything else for 20 minutes a day for six weeks – for a total of 10 hours – to win a prize. Special programs offer a chance to pet snakes, meet cockroaches and more.

Teens will win a Creature Feature T-shirt after reading for 10 hours. When groups of teens read a combined 500 hours, they can adopt and sponsor a wolf at Wolf Haven. Programs include presentations about wolves, animal movies and more. Three libraries will feature pizza parties for participating teens.

All kids are encouraged to bring in cans of dog and cat food to help local senior citizens feed their pets.

Reading program dates are June 24 to Aug. 5.


Tacoma Public Library. 253-591-5666. www.tacomapubliclibrary.org.

Program information was not available at press time.

– June Craft

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