Bernardsville Library's Summer Reading Kicks Off

Get ready for a summer of fun and fitness at Bernardsville Public Library. This summer's reading theme for children is “On Your Mark, Get Set…READ!” and kicking off the fun on Monday, June 20 at 7:00 pm is Jester Jim, a New York juggler, comedian and magician.

Children and teens can begin registering for Bernardsville Library's Summer Reading program on Monday, June 20. Registration continues throughout the summer, but those who register between June 20 and June 25 will earn free entrance to our Moon Bounce on Saturday, June 25 between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm. Summer reading participants will also earn prizes for reading or listening to materials of their choice from books to magazines, comics and more. School assignments count! It's well known that students can move backward academically during the summer if reading and learning are not continued and reading achievement declines as well. But if students read just six books over the summer, they can maintain their current reading level, and, if they read between ten and twenty books of their own choosing, they can actually increase reading achievement.

As always, the Library will be a hub of activity during the summer months. There will be special programs, weekly story times, and lots of "active art." Among the Monday evening programs on the calendar are two sessions on nutritious cooking led by ShopRite dietician Allison Napolitano, a martial arts demonstration, hula hooping for fun and fitness, and a performance by Traveling Lantern Theatre on the first Olympic Games, "Vladimir Goes for Gold." [Advance registration is required for some of these programs; check www.bernardsvillelibrary.org for sign-up details.]

The whole family will enjoy Art a la Cart with different art projects on Tuesdays at 4:00 pm (June 28 to August 9). Friday Fun at 10:30 am on Fridays (July 1 to September 2), will have a different activity-based focus each week, ranging from games to movement, exercise, and crafts. You can also find the Library around town this summer. Look for story times at the pool and at local businesses throughout the summer. Check the library website for locations each week.

Children entering first to sixth grades can join Active Art on Wednesdays at 5:00 pm (June 29-August 10), using their whole bodies to create unique artwork each week, and Tech Time on select Thursdays to discover, create and invent with technology using littleBits, 3D pens, and Makey Makey. Preteens can get a jump start on community service on June 30, July 14 and 28 and August 11 from 6:30 to 7:30 pm. There will also be a physical challenge each week in July, from long jumps, to balancing acts, to hula hoops.

Younger children, from birth through preschool, can enjoy a variety of story times each week including Starlight Stories on Wednesdays at 6:30 pm (June 29-August 10). There's also our award-winning, hands-on story time, Reading Rumpus, on Mondays at 2:00 pm (June 27-August 8) during which active children ages three to five will become part of the story with props, games and motion. Little Laboratory Stories runs on Thursdays at 10:30 am (June 30 to August 11). During this program, preschoolers will enjoy stories and activities based on simple math, science and engineering concepts.

For a complete listing of these and many other programs, check the library website, www.bernardsvillelibrary.org, the library newsletter, or pick up a summer reading brochure for more details. There is no charge to attend Library programs, and most of the activities are drop-in. Call the library at 908-766-0118 for further information or sign up via the library's website.