Tales and Tails

By James Hanlon
Leader Staff Writer
Addison Township Library patrons who participated in the summer reading program celebrated behind the library Aug. 9, with a petting zoo, ice cream floats and raffles for gift baskets.
In keeping with this year’s summer reading theme, “Tales and Tails,” Upland Hills Farm brought baby animals – goats, chicks, rabbits, lambs – for everyone to meet.
The reading program was highly successful this year with 119 finishing the challenge: 50 adults, 11 teens and 57 children. To complete the program, kids had to commit to reading 20 minutes a day for 50 days in a row.
“They took it really seriously this summer for some reason more than ever in finishing the program,” Library Director Jaema Berman said. The fact that there was more in-person activity at the library this summer increased the program’s visibility compared to last summer, when participation was down.
“This is the thing we really live for,” Berman continued. “It’s about literacy, it’s about kids finding their place in books, about finding their favorite characters, their favorite plots, about going on adventures in stories. You know, it is a way to go on vacation without having to leave your house. Their teachers are happy, their parents are happy, but most of all, they’re happy because they did it.”
For each 10 stickers submitted with their reading log, summer readers could submit a raffle ticket.
Teen prize winner Owen Bolton won a basket with movie theater snacks. For the adult prizes, Susan Newman won a garden basket, Suzanne Uicker won a “treat yourself” basket, and Heidi Pratt won a DIY basket. Twin brothers John and Patrick Kennedy, ages 4, happened to independently win both children’s prizes, a science-themed basket and an animal basket, respectively.