It will be a picnic this summer encouraging Auckland children to bury their noses in books, with Auckland City Libraries’ summer reading programme set to enjoy a fourth season of success.

Enrolments for the programme, ‘Reading is a Picnic’, open this Monday, November 27, at each of the city’s 17 libraries and continue until all 1600 places are filled. Parents or caregivers can fill in a registration form at their local library and receive reading folders for their children.

‘Reading is a Picnic’ runs for six weeks from December 11 to January 20. The programme aims to reinforce the reading habit in children aged five to 12 by encouraging them to spend time reading during their long summer holiday from school.

Using their reading folders, children record all the books they have read. They can then visit the library to borrow more books and chat with staff about what they have read and their favourite authors. Children receive stickers with each visit to the library and complete the programme by doing this four times over the summer. At the end of January, they will be invited to a special picnic, which doubles as an awards ceremony for children to celebrate their achievements with family and library staff.

Barbara Birkbeck, Libraries Manager, says: “Holidays are a great time to celebrate reading. Our programme rewards children for exploring their love of books and gives them a chance to talk with library staff about what they have read and what they might enjoy next.
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“It’s a fun way to maintain the child’s ‘reading habit’ over the summer break. It’s also a great option for parents looking for holiday activities – it’s fun, educational and free.”

The programme has been run successfully for three years at Auckland City Libraries. It is based on the popular E’C Read’N, an initiative developed in the Wairarapa and Hawkes Bay and used in many New Zealand libraries.

ENDS

For further information, please contact:
Kaye Lalley, Child and Youth Specialist, Auckland City Libraries, tel: 373 6365.

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