Summer Reading Programme

The Summer Reading Programme is back, and this year we’re encouraging kids to ‘Be A Legend- Read!’ with a theme drawn from the myths and legends of Ancient Greece. Funded by the Eastern and Central Community Trust, the Summer Reading Programme is offered by libraries throughout the Eastern and Central region.  The Summer Reading Programme aims to encourage a love of reading and books amongst children and thousands have benefited from the programme over the past 15 years.

Children (pre-school and primary aged) enrolled in the Summer Reading Programme talk to library staff about the books they have been reading (or had read to them) and in exchange receive incentive prizes. Those kids who complete the programme (by reporting in to the library on four or more occasions over the six weeks it runs for) are also eligible to attend finale celebrations with more prizes, certificates, food and entertainment.
Also available are the SRPlus and read+ programme which operate on a slightly different basis. SRPlus is designed for intermediate aged kids and read+ has been developed for secondary students. Participants in both these programmes receive a booklet in which they write book reviews. These are then shown to library staff and for every three reviews they complete they can choose a book to keep. There are some fantastic books available and this year teens enrolled in the read+ programme have the added incentive of entering a prize draw to win an iPod.
In the Wairarapa the Be A Legend-Read! Summer Reading Programme, SRPlus and read+ programmes are being offered by the Pahiatua, Eketahuna, Masterton, Carterton, Greytown, Featherston and Martinborough libraries. Masterton Library also has 50 places available for speakers and readers of Māori to do the Summer Reading Programme in Te Reo.

At Masterton registration night is on Thursday the 24^th of November from 3:00 to 7:30pm. The Tararua libraries including Eketahuna and Pahiatua will be taking registrations from the 28^th of November. The Wairarapa Library Service (Carterton, Greytown, Featherston and Martinborough) will be taking registrations from around the middle of November. If you would like more information on registering or the programme in general, please contact your local library.

Thanks to the co-operation of local councils, the hard work of librarians, and the financial support of the Eastern and Central Community Trust, the Summer Reading Programme has been incredibly successful tool for the encouragement of reading. Children enrolled on the programme can maintain and even improve their reading skills over the summer break - a period when many loose the gains they have made at school. For those not yet at school it is a chance to become more familiar with books and reading; the SRPlus and read+ programmes are great vehicles to keep older children and teens reading; and for all it is a chance to get to know their librarians. And on top of all these benefits, it’s a whole lot of fun. So let’s help grow more legendary readers with the 2011/12 Summer Reading Programmes.