Library Summer Reading Kickoff

“Awesome Anime” is the featured program at the Tweens & Teens Summer Reading Kickoff on Monday, June 26, from 4 to 6 pm at the Booth Library. The program is for rising sixth graders and up and there will also be savory Asian snacks. Anime, a popular animated form of Japanese manga art, is produced both in film and on television.

Steve Long, a master storyteller, has spent much time in Japan learning the culture, history, and language. He will present a selection of old and new stories from Japan to give people an idea of where their favorite anime stories might have come from. Then he will show a selection of short anime features and TV shows.

He says, “Stories come from stories. One day, someone told a story and others liked it so they started telling stories themselves. Many Japanese anime stories come from Japanese folk tales, even modern stories by Japanese authors, but viewers here in America don’t know these stories. These anime stories are becoming part of our stories now, but people don’t know where these stories stated.”

There will be information available on the Tweens & Teens Summer Reading including a list of the prizes that will be awarded each week. Participants get one chance in the drawing for every 50 pages that they read in a given week. Local businesses and services donate wonderful prizes each year to encourage young people to participate in the library’s summer reading programs.

Signups for “Awesome Anime,” for rising sixth graders and up, are now open at the Main Floor Circulation Desk or by calling 426-4533.