July School Library Musings: Summer Reading Rocks!

Longtime educator Deborah Salyer’s job title at the online literacy portal TeachingBooks sounds all business: Implementation and Training Specialist. But in truth, Deb is all about the fun, so we called her up to see what she had to recommend to keep kids immersed in reading over the summer. She knew exactly what we were looking for.

“If you haven’t already done it, hustle down to your local library branch and sign up for their summer reading program; they offer all kinds of free stuff just by signing up!” says Salyer.

One example is Summer Stride, San Francisco Public Library’s summer reading program. Participants receive a raffle ticket every time they visit the library, and the monthly raffle prizes include donations from the SF Giants and the Golden State Warriors, popular ice cream shops, pizza parlors, and coffee houses, the SF Zoo, and lots of museums.

The program also includes free author talks, special workshops, and book giveaways. When you complete the reading challenge, you receive a prize featuring unique artwork from San Francisco illustrator Nidhi Chanani.

Summer Stride is not just for kids; adults can participate, too. And as Salyer points out, the great thing about summer reading is you get to choose what to read, and it’s okay not to finish a book you don’t like.

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What about those days when you just can’t decide what to read? Salyer suggests choosing summer reads from the various state Readers’ Choice award lists. As she says, “Since these booklists are based on popular demand, they are usually fun books, and you can read them aloud as a family.”

And don’t think that reading aloud is only for little kids—plenty of teenagers like to listen to a good story, and how many adults do you know who only ever listen to podcasts?

Even if your teen scoffs at the idea, just hand them a cliff-hanging steampunk audiobook and walk away. Chances are they’ll still be listening when you come back into the room thirty minutes later. Build on their multitasking abilities by encouraging them to listen while doing other quiet activities like drawing, knitting, LEGO building, or gardening.

You don’t have to buy those audiobooks, either. Salyer recommends Sora Sweet Reads, a platform many school libraries offer to provide readers access to e-books and audiobooks. If Sora isn’t available, most public libraries offer access to Libby, Hoopla, or similar platforms for free online listening.

Coolest of all is that libraries all across the country—rural, urban, small-town—offer their own versions of SFPL’s Summer Stride, highlighting engaging activities, local hangouts, and tasty treats as prizes. Meetups with authors, scientists, storytellers, and more invite kids to reach out and discover new people, places, and ideas—with folks of all ages encouraged to join in the fun.

Local bookstores also offer all kinds of free summer programs and events, as do museums. As Deb says, “When I was teaching in San Diego, I said to myself, I’m not leaving all the fun stuff to the tourists — I’m going to the museum for free on Tuesdays!” Museums, of course, are no longer the stuffy, shushing sorts of places they once were, so winning free tickets from SF’s Summer Stride raffle to the SF Museum of Modern Art, for instance, could build literacy and open up a whole new world, even while your children think they are just having fun.

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TeachingBooks is a digital resource database whose mission is “to equitably give all readers insights and opportunities that deepen their understanding and joy of the books they are reading.” There are many ways to interact with TeachingBooks from a teacher’s or academic perspective, but for chill summer fun, check out its book-related activities under the “For Fun” page: book cover jigsaw puzzles, an author/illustrator name game, video book trailers, and even word search games with the title, author, and description of a book.

The open secret here is that finding and then doing fun, free stuff—whether or not they’re related to books—automatically improves literacy. “Literacy is everywhere,” says Salyer. “Reading helps us interpret the world around us, but reading doesn’t have to be a book; it can be playing the license plate tag game in the car when you’re on vacation, finding your camping destination on the National Parks website, checking out travel agency brochures, looking at menus at roadside stops.”

When we’re shopping, taking public transit, looking at billboards, or using maps on a family trip, we’re doing math, making connections, asking questions, and thinking about the answers. We’re using all different forms of media to turn what interests us into solutions to real-world challenges. In fact, we’re reading.

Research of all kinds shows us that there are four Big Ideas that guarantee literacy fluency: access to a wide variety of reading, choice, regular reading and listening opportunities, and talking with others. So don’t worry about the much-threatened “summer reading loss,” which claims that time away from school causes kids to lose the literacy gains they made during the school year.

By following Deb’s advice—participating in fun activities, reading a wide variety of books and comics, and engaging with the wider world—you’re already ahead of the game in keeping kids on track. As she says, “Summer is the season of voice and choice.”

So go forth. Kick back on lazy summer evenings by putting your feet up and reading something you just . . . enjoy. Take that hike in the hills, that walk on the beach. Watch a movie together, then chat with the whole family about what you saw, heard, and felt. Make the important connections that build confidence, knowledge, and—most importantly—joy. Required reading will be back on the table soon enough. For now, it’s summertime . . . and the reading is easy.

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TeachingBooks is one of several databases provided for free by many states. This means that everyone in the state has access, usually through a school or public library. Check it out to see all the great resources available to you at no cost! For more information about TeachingBooks access, contact [email protected].

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