Library’s Summer Reading Program starts Monday

Caitlyn Bennett reads a book while her mother shops at the library’s Buck-A-Bag Book Sale. Photo provided by Sandra Brautigam

The Canyon Lake Library’s Summer Reading Program, “Reading Takes You Everywhere,”  begins Monday, June 4. The program is an incentive program to encourage children, teens, parents and other adults to choose reading as a summer activity.

Goldie the Clown will be at the library with balloon art from 2 to 4 p.m. to help celebrate opening day.

Reading to babies and toddlers is highly important for brain development. Older children gain mathematics and school readiness benefits in addition to the benefit for struggling readers from reading for fun and at their own pace. With this goal, the program will return to reading time.

The by the book standard of the 2017 program was not optimal for developing readers and the benefits of life-long learning. Teens and adults are also invited to join. They represent an important place as reading role models. Children seeing those around them reading is an important aspect of children reading. The program for all ages is to read what you like in whatever form works as long as you or they are reading.

“Reading Takes You Everywhere” will include prizes such as bicycles, electronic games, kites and other toys. Entertainment will include Wild West Science Tellers on June 20, Kids Reptile Parties on June 25, Comic Books 101 on July 9, Halloween in July on July 13, juggler David Cousings on July 19 and John M. Guzman for a program about China with travel tips on July 23.

Registration will open on Monday with logs for keeping track of time. The collection of reward incentives starts June 18. The program has four stages to the initial program with continued reading rewarded with an extra reading drawing.

The program ends Friday, July 27, with the final days of basic reading rewards collection Saturday, July 28.

The Friends of the Canyon Lake Library’s Buck-A-Bag Book Sale was a great success with a 50 percent increase in sales from the previous year. All proceeds support library activity and materials at the Canyon Lake Library such as the Summer Reading Program.

Toddler Story Time, Saturday Tutoring and the Adult Book Club will continue through the summer. Toddler Story Time meets on Mondays at 11 a.m. Roots to Grow Tutoring is on Saturdays from 10 to 11 a.m. on Saturdays. The  Adult Book Club meets on the last Monday of the month at 4 p.m.

The library has a supply of free voter information guides related to the upcoming primary election on June 5. Additional information may be obtained at sos.ca.gov/elections.

The Canyon Lake Library is a collaboration with the City of Canyon Lake and the Riverside County Library System. It is located at 31516 Railroad Canyon Rd. Hours are Mondays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Wednesdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The library is closed on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. The Canyon Lake Library is a member of the Riverside County Library System and honors cards and returns from other affiliated libraries. For more information, call 951-244-9181.