SUMMERDALE - Tails and Tales was the theme for the 2021 Summer Reading Program, chosen because animals have a tale to tell. The children can readily relate to animals and animal stories, thereby encouraging them to read more. The Marjorie Younce Snook Public Library has a great selection of animal stories for children to choose from, and the Summer Reading Program offered the opportunity for children to expand their minds while keeping up on their reading skills while school is out.

This year’s reading challenge to the children was held May 1 through June 22. The goal was for the children to read 30 books and write/draw a five-page story of their favorite animal. Each child who participated in the challenge had a chance to win one of the top three cash award prizes. This year 27 children signed up for the reading challenge and over 242 attended the programs. It was one of the biggest turnouts yet!

In addition to a reading challenge, every Tuesday in June from 10 a.m. – noon, the Marjorie Younce Snook Public Library had a guest entertainer, a featured reader, arts & crafts and refreshments for the children, with a Grand Finale party on the last Tuesday.

June 1 featured Animal Tales John Hamm, who brought several animals to the children’s delight. The Animal Tales program allows the children to learn about the animals and ask questions about how the animal lives. Then on June 8, Alligator Alley brought in Gatorade, a baby alligator. The children interacted with the volunteer and asked some fun questions about gators, the nesting habits of gators, about the organization, and how baby Gatorade came to live with them. Afterwards, the trainer allowed each child to hold Gatorade on their lap for a photo op!

On June 15, BIMO the Magician entertained the children with funny jokes, super cool magic tricks, and lots of fun! BIMO interacted with the children and even needed some volunteers to help out with tricks. At the end of his show BIMO gave each child a goodie bag which was greatly enjoyed. Finally, the Grand Finale Party took place on June 22. This year a special sponsor, Baldwin County Sewer Services (BCSS), provided a Slushie Machine and the mix to make Slushies. They also provided give away bottles to go in the children’s goodie bags. Southern Cherished Moments Photography had a beach-time photo booth set up for family fun photos.

Following each event, the children divided into three groups with one group going to arts & crafts, one group for snacks, and one group for a special book read to them by a guest reader. Every 20 minutes the groups would rotate until every child had a chance to do all the day’s events.

The Summer Reading Program would not be possible without the support from the community. This year’s events were made possible by grants and donations from the following: the Dollar General Summer Reading Grant, BCSS donation, and volunteers who participated as guest-readers. The library is so grateful for this support so the children of Summerdale can remain connected to their community while school is out and to prevent the summer reading slide that occurs too often during the summer vacation.

The Marjorie Younce Snook Public Library is located at 202 W. Broadway Street in Summerdale and is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Please call the library at 251-989-2011 or visit the website at www.summerdalelibrary.com for more information.