School's out and Summer is here, so why not enrol your child in the Summer Stars Reading adventure at Westport Library? It’s fun and it’s free; thanks to Mayo Library Service.
Summer Stars is the national reading programme for children taking place in all 330 public libraries throughout the country this summer, from June until the end of August.
The reading adventure encourages children to read over their summer holidays, to enjoy the fun and pleasure of reading and participate in the related events and activities at their local library.
To take part, each child commits to reading eight books over the summer months of July and August and if they complete the challenge, they become a Summer Star with a certificate and a medal to prove it!
Enrolment is free and when you sign your child up, they are given a report card and review sheets to record their thoughts on each book.
Participants will then receive a special stamp on their report card for every book they read and review. Upon completion of the challenge, each will receive a medal and a certificate at a special ceremony in August.
According to Westport librarian Keith Martin: "Reading has many long-term benefits for children and helps develop creativity and imagination, increases concentration and attention, improves their communications skills and reading is fun, relaxing and calming. It is also ideal for rainy summer days. Reading will also give your child greater self-esteem and allow them to entertain themselves.
"By focusing on stories that are fun and by ensuring the story is not too easy but not too hard, you can really help encourage your child’s reading. Comic books, graphic novels, or books about sports or hobbies can be a great way of introducing a reluctant reader into reading more. Finally, lots of praise and encouragement and frequent visits to Westport Library can really make reading and choosing books fun for your young readers."
In addition to the Summer Stars reading challenge, Westport library offers a huge range of books, eBooks, DVDs, and CDs for younger readers and has access to hundreds of thousands of items from libraries all over Ireland, all free of charge.
Westport Library is open Tuesdays to Fridays from 10am to 1.30pm and 2.30pm to 5pm and on Saturdays from 10am till 4pm (Lunch 1pm to 2pm ). For more information on the Summer Stars challenge, or on the library, just pop into Westport Library or call (098 ) 25747. Membership is now free, late fees have been abolished and borrowers can borrow up to 12 books for three weeks.
