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Libraries To Take Youths On Trips Around World

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By MEGAN HUSSEY

Tribune Correspondent

Published: June 8, 2008

This summer, libraries in Pasco County will offer kids a series of adventures that will take them around the world and challenge them with new ideas and experiences.

Best of all, the adventures are free.

At the New Port Richey Library, children 17 and younger will be invited to "travel the world" from Tuesday through July 25, with a break the week of July 4.

"Through this theme, we want to show kids that, to travel the world, they can start with a book," said youth services librarian Ghelder Arriaga. "And they can start at their library."

Every Tuesday at 2 p.m., the library will host a storytelling session for children 6 and younger. The sessions will last 20 to 30 minutes, to accommodate the younger children's shorter attention spans, and include stories from around the world. Parents will be asked to read at least five books to their children; for every book read, children will be entered in a weekly drawing to win educational toys, stickers and other prizes.

The teen's summer reading program will be at 5 p.m. Thursday. In addition to reading, teens will play the Nintendo Wii video game console and anime games.

The programs allow youths to pick the books they read.

"That's the fun part," Arriaga said. "Kids can read stuff that they're interested in, provided that their parents approve."

Students To Get International Flavor
Each week will end with performances featuring an international flavor. Children will learn to create, decorate and throw boomerangs, listen to Asian and Indian folk tales, play African drums and see varieties of South American reptiles and Floridian mammals.

"By using interactive programs, we hope to make an impression and try to tickle their interest," Arriaga said. "We want them to be more global, to raise their sensitivity to other cultures and know where we stand in the world."

For information, call the New Port Richey Library at (727) 853-1265, or go to www.nprlibrary.org.

At the Pasco County Library System's seven branches, children will get back to nature - and to reading for fun.

"If they want to read a Hannah Montana book, they can read a Hannah Montana book," said youth services coordinator Karen Correa. "They can read graphic novels."

They can also take part in animal- and nature-themed activities in the program, which runs from Monday through July 24.

The summer program includes a story time reading club for parents and their children 5 and younger, a club for elementary students and one for teenagers. "Metamorphosis," the teen program, includes a variety of activities, including anime games, movies, poetry slams, as well as music, CSI and crafts sessions. All the offerings are planned by the libraries' teen advisory boards.

"We give them the power to choose what they want to do," Correa said.

At the end of the summer, youths who meet their reading goals get to attend invitation-only parties.

The program has been a hit. More than 3,000 children registered last year, and parents say they noticed a difference in their children's reading habits.

"I've heard parents say, 'My kid finally likes to read,'" Correa said. "They say their kids went into the next school year reading at a level above the rest of their class."

For information or to register, call (727) 861-3020, or visit www.pasco libraries.org.

'Family Centered Activity'

Working with the Pasco County Library System, the Zephyrhills Public Library is offering its own summer reading program, open to kids in grades K-5.

Students determine at the start of the program how many days they will agree to read, and they can read at home or at the library.

"We often see families reading together in the children's section, and parents reading to younger children," said Kathleen Burnside, director of library and museum services. "This is a family centered activity."

The first 100 children who register for the program will receive a goodie bag that includes a reading log, which they can use to set and track their reading goals, a certificate and bookmarks. The program will include free entertainment sessions from 11 a.m. to noon Wednesdays at Alice Hall Community Center, 38116 Fifth Ave. Enrollment in the reading program isn't required to attend these events.

Planned events include a reptile show July 9, a performance by a two-man band July 16, a "mad science" event July 23 and a pizza party July 30.

"The goal is always to make reading fun for the children," Burnside said.

For information or to register, call Burnside at (813) 780-0064.

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