Library District’s reading program begins June 1

Summer break should never signal the end of learning. The Las Vegas-Clark County Library District's Summer Reading Program, which begins June 1, helps kids improve their reading skills, increase their reading fluency and expand their vocabulary.

The best way to stress the importance of summer reading is for parents to be involved in their child's reading. The local library has shelves of mind-expanding fun, from fantasy and adventure to books on science and sports.

Children 5 years and younger can join the Rubber Ducky Reading Club, which emphasizes activities that help develop early literacy skills. Prizes include a rubber ducky and a board book to take home, as well as an entry into a prize drawing for a chance to win a gift of books.

Kids in kindergarten through fifth grade can join Dream Big, Read! Kids read to earn a Book Buck to redeem in any of the Library District Foundation's used bookstores, a gold medal and an entry into a prize drawing for a chance to win a $50 gift card from Barnes & Noble.

Own the Night is the program for teenagers in sixth grade and above. Teens who read earn a Book Buck, a magnetic bookmark and an entry into a drawing for a chance to win a Sony WiFi e-reader.

The library also has programs that are perfect for the whole family, including theatrical adaptations of "The Wizard of Oz" and "Pinocchio," a variety show by Fratello Marionettes, Harry Potter magic show and storytimes.

National research shows that kids who read just 20 minutes a day over the summer start the school year ahead of the pack.

The Summer Reading Program runs through July 31. For more details about the Summer Reading Program, visit www.lvccld.org.