By Debra Orado

Do you belong to a reading community?  Being a member of a reading community brings people together like very few other experiences. It gives you the opportunity to talk about reading as a reader. The goal is to just have a conversation. As a librarian and teacher, I am continually in a reading community. While children are in school, they, too, are members of a reading community.

When a school year ends, your reading community may be on hold until September. This summer, I encourage you to create a summer reading community at home. Commit to summer reading as a family, whether you read aloud together or have a time when you all unplug and read separately in cozy places in the house.  Start a new tradition after a long day of summer fun in the sun, read together and then share what you have read. Start a conversation!

Books offer all of us a way to talk about ideas and feelings. Share what you are reading or read something your kids are reading. Have a conversation about a book. Read aloud to your kids as well, as part of summer reading.  There is nothing that builds a reading community at home better than a read aloud no matter what the ages of your children. You will find that the more you share a book the more enjoyment you will get out of reading. 

Our summer reading theme this year is All Together Now, which invites you to explore reading together as a family through activities, programs, and all kinds of books. By joining the fun, you’ll earn prizes, and connect with others through the power of stories.  Sign up for Summer Reading through Beanstack. You will be able to enroll and track your progress through our Beanstack webpage or the Beanstack app available on Google Play and Apple App stores.

Happy Summer!