Ridgefield’s Community Librarian, Sean McGill, visited South Ridge Elementary to promote the Fort Vancouver Regional Library’s (FVRL) Summer Reading Program—and to roar like a tiger. McGill read the Korean story “The Tiger and the Dried Persimmon” to Sara Marshall’s class, which required him to roar and run around the library like a tiger—twice—much to the delight of Ridgefield School District first graders.
\r\nMcGill also brought a big cardboard box with a long green tail sticking out of one side. “Should I shake it?” he asked. The students, wide-eyed, nodded yes. He shook the box, then dramatically opened it to pull out a long, green, plush sea serpent. The sea serpent represented this year’s theme for the FVRL Summer at Your Library Program: cryptids (animals that are purported to exist but have never been proven to exist).
\r\nThe program asks students to log their reading over the summer, either in a printed program or online. And it rewards students with a free book just for signing up, a free tote bag after meeting reading goals, and the chance to win gift cards. The kids were excited to learn what the Summer Reading Program offered. “I’m signing up!” one boy exclaimed, “I want a new book!”
\r\nMcGill posed a few questions to the class. Does it count when someone reads a book to you? Does it count if you read to someone else? How about if you read to your dog? The answer to all of these questions is yes, these all count. “How about if your dog reads to you?,” McGill asked. “Trick question! Dogs can’t read.” This last question elicited a giggle from the students as they imagined their dogs reading out loud to them.
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McGill also good-naturedly fielded a number of first grade questions, including “Did you know Bigfoot is actually real?” “Were you born in the 1980s?” and “Guess what? Last night I got a hamster.”
\r\nIn addition to the summer reading program, FVRL offers a wide range of virtual events over the summer, some cryptid-themed and some not. From Sasquatch: Legend Meets Science to an online tour of Wolf Haven, there is something for everyone: magic and museums, science and singing, comedy and concerts. To see the full list, go to https://www.fvrl.org/summer-reading.
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South Ridge Elementary School librarian Emily Crawford and other Ridgefield school librarians are pleased to partner with FVRL throughout the year. They expand students’ opportunity to read with programs like StoryWalks, where laminated book pages are posted along an outdoor walkway. They also generate interest in reading through a bookmark contest where students create original bookmarks and compete for prizes.
\r\n“This year, we had over 1,300 entries at the Ridgefield branch, more than any other library in the district,” McGill said. Library staff spent hours posting the students’ bright and cheerful bookmark designs all around the Ridgefield library. “In fact,” he said, “this year, one of the contest winners was from Ridgefield High School. And 63 students received an honors award.”
\r\n“The kids love the contest!,” Crawford said. “Since they host the contest every other year, we run our own contest at the elementary schools during the off years. I had to go get new markers because the kids wore them out coloring!” The school libraries are hoping to partner with FVRL on other projects in the future, including a possible library lock-in movie night. In the meantime, South Ridge students are looking forward to a summer filled with reading, prizes, and entertainment thanks to FVRL.
\r\nTo sign up for the Summer Reading Program, visit the Ridgefield Library, located at 210 North Main Avenue, or sign up online at https://www.fvrl.org/summer-reading.