'Chill Out and Read' at library this winter

SALISBURY — Summer reading programs have long been a popular activity at local libraries. Now Erin Simmons, children’s librarian at the Scoville Memorial Library, is launching a winter reading program. It will begin Friday, Dec. 24.

“‘Chill Out and Read’ is similar to the summer reading program in that it offers an incentive to try to get children to read,†Simmons said. “And it’s a way to break up the winter a bit.â€

The program has two levels, one geared toward younger, pre-readers and one geared toward older, independent readers. Each participant gets a bingo card with an activity listed in each square. When the child has completed an activity, he or she colors in the square.

When five squares in a row are colored, scoring a bingo, the child gets to hang a snowflake on the bulletin board in the library and choose a prize from the treasure box.

When the whole card is full, the child wins a paperback book.

The program runs through Feb. 12 and will wrap up with a Valentine’s Day-themed party.

Activities on the Read-to-Me Reader bingo card include reading a book about snowmen and playing a board game with someone. On the Independent Reader card, children can read a story in a magazine or newspaper or check out a cookbook and make one of the recipes.

“The activities are a way to highlight the new collection I’m building,†Simmons added.  “I also hope to encourage the children to read in specific genres, to broaden their horizons. If they’re only reading fantasy, this is an opportunity to read outside that genre.â€

To make it easy to find, say, a historical fiction book, Simmons is in the process of reorganizing the children’s section by subject. She said she was inspired by the Darien public library, which is organized more like a bookstore than a traditional library.

“It seemed to make more sense for people not familiar with the library,†she said. “If you’re not working with picture books on a daily basis, it’s hard to know where to look. A lot of people say, ‘We’re looking for truck books’ or ‘We’re looking for train books.’ Now we have a transportation section.â€

To sign up for the program, which is free, stop by the library and pick up a bingo card.

Library hours and information on other children’s programs can be found online at scovillelibrary.org.

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