Date: Fri 05-Sep-1997

Publication: Bee

Author: DOTTIE

Quick Words:

summer-reading-library

Full Text:

with cuts:

Library's Summer Readers Win Prizes

Summer was a great time to read books for many Newtown and Sandy Hook children

who participated in the library's seven-week program, including the three Ober

girls, Bethany (left), Claire and Mary Grace.

-Bee Photos, Evans

Alexa Vacaro points to her name among the Middle School Madness Winners.

B Y D OROTHY E VANS

Most of the 473 Newtown children who participated in the Cyrenius H. Booth

Library Summer Reading Program didn't need weekly incentives such as posters

and bookmarks to keep on turning pages.

Curled up on their living room couches or spread out on blankets in their back

yards, a number of children from preschool through middle school were finding

out for themselves how much fun reading could be.

In all cases, what mattered most was a good story.

Why was the Poky Little Puppy always getting into trouble? What were the

wonderful words that Wilbur the Pig saw written in Charlotte's Web ? When

would The Hobbit escape the dark riders and safely deliver the enchanted ring?

From June 26 to August 14, the children read a total of 5,049 books with

enough understanding to discuss their favorites with children's librarian

Alana Meloni and even fill out 3 by 5 cards with a few descriptive sentences.

"They did a wonderful job, as our wall of fame shows," said Mrs Meloni last

week referring to the children who read 15 books or more.

She proudly showed off a huge bar graph poster in the children's reading area

at Shelton House that illustrated how many books were read in each age group.

The numbers were impressive, telling a tale of their own.

Kindergartners read 805; first graders read 666; and second graders, who were

the grand prize winners, read 1,258.

"That's because their books were shorter," noted one astute fourth grader who

stood by while the poster was being photographed for The Newtown Bee .

Indeed, it seemed true that the higher the grade, the fewer the books read.

Third graders read 705; fourth graders read 610 and fifth and sixth graders

combined read 350.

It didn't hurt the summer reading cause that several area businesses provided

prize coupons for numbers of books completed.

For example, My Place Restaurant gave each child who read five books a coupon

for a slice of pizza, Dunkin Donuts gave coupons when ten books were read, and

Lexington Gardens offered a special balloon for 15 books read.

Middle School Madness

For children entering grades six, seven, eight or nine, there were additional

reasons to keep on reading.

As they completed their books, the children filled out chances for a raffle

that took place August 15 for special prizes being offered by local

businesses.

Middle school readers completed more than 500 books in all, Mrs Meloni said.

"My favorite was Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor about the

lives of black slaves," said one raffle winner, Alexa Vacaro, who will be

entering the sixth grade.

The Middle School Madness Raffle winners were:

Joshua Gaberel - Dinner for two at My Place Restaurant

Renee Whippie - A large pizza with any topping from My Place Restaurant

Kerilyn Peck - A Fuji Quick Snap disposable camera from Drug Center

Karen Earle - A basketball from Drug Center

Emily Steinfeld - six tennis balls from Drug Center

Tom Fullman - Lunch at the Botsford Drive-In

Brian Pious - A $15 gift certificate from Tunes CDs and Tapes

Alexa Vacaro - A $15 gift certificate from Tunes CDs and Tapes

Jessica Horvath - A bouquet from the Florist On The Green

Heidi Ekstrom - Three passes to Edmond Town Hall Theater

Mark Reid - Three passes to Edmond Town Hall Theater

Megan Stevens - Manala, the African Stone Game, from the Toy Corner

Cecile Berlioux - Banana Barge from Scoops