Peninsula Public Library celebrates its summer readers

Children, parents, library staff and Assemblywoman Melissa Miller (R-Atlantic Beach) all gathered in the Peninsula Public Library parking lot to celebrate the work done by the kids involved in the summer reading program. There were games, snacks, the Squeaky Clean Band performed and kids filled the free backpacks they received from Miller with an assortment of prizes.

During the summer the children read age-appropriate books and filled out reading logs. At the party they redeemed those logs for the prizes. “This party is our celebration to show them how much we appreciate the work they do over the summer,” said library Director Carolynn Matulewicz.

Miller handed out the drawstring backpacks, which were paid for by a grant from the National Foundation of Women Legislators and the Office Depot Foundation. “In this area there are so many kids, and the costs for going back to school adds up,” she said. “It gets very expensive. When you have lots of kids every year you face all these expenses. This is something small that we can do that can really make such a big difference.”

The program, run by Toni Liberty, also included petting zoos and beach trips for the kids. “We had a lot of things that were not reading to bring kids in like, if you want to come pet the animals maybe you should read some books,” she said. “And then at the end you get to come to this great party, have a wonderful concert and have a chance to win even more prizes.”

Liberty said that Afmita Jaiswal, 12, read more than 19,000 pages. Patrick Eribo, 9, didn’t read that many but said he read over 7,000 pages. Eribo said his favorite books were those about Minecraft, his favorite video game, but said his favorite part of reading is, “The suspense of not knowing what’s going to happen next.”

Eribo’s friend, Daniel Becker, 9, agreed that not knowing what’s next is his favorite part of reading. He also said “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” was his favorite book, a sentiment shared by several other young readers as well.

Allison Rivas, one of the program’s younger readers couldn’t decide on her favorite book, but was enthusiastic nonetheless. “I read every night,” she exclaimed over the band’s music, “it helps me sleep.”

Their favorite books varied, and their favorite reasons for reading differed, but the summer reading program clearly helped to instill a love of reading in the children. Matulewicz said the next step is helping them transition into school. “We do a lot of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) programs and coordinating with the curriculums,” she said. “We’re happy to end the season with the summer reading program and we’re planning for the fall now.”