Valley Stream's young readers make their mark

“Fizz! Boom! Read!” is the theme for summer reading programs at libraries across the United States, and the Henry Waldinger Memorial Library in Valley Stream has embraced that message.

For the next two months, children will be out of school, but they are still encouraged to keep their minds sharp through books. At Waldinger, they can rack up prizes, as well as points for their elementary school, by reading.

The Summer Reading Club kicked off on June 20 by honoring the seven children who won the annual bookmark design contest. Bookmarks with their artwork will be available at the library throughout the summer. There was one winner for each grade, kindergarten through sixth.

Children’s librarian Jaclyn Kunz received 269 entries this year, and said it was tough to pick the winners. She said she looked for designs that best captured the science theme, while also promoting reading. “It was interesting to see how they interpreted it,” she said.

Ethan Fazal, the second-grade winner, drew a volcano exploding with books. In coming up with his design, he thought about what goes boom. “The first thing that comes into my mind is a volcano,” the Forest Road School student said.

Fazal, a two-time winner in the bookmark contest, said he enjoys reading graphic novels.

Alexa Kosinski, a student at the William L. Buck School, was the winner from kindergarten. She drew a picture of a girl sitting on a blanket reading, with fireworks going off in the background. She said her goal is to read 100 books this summer.

Robert Munafo, a third-grader at Buck, said he wanted his design to be exciting, which is why he drew books opening up and explosions taking place.