School may be out for the summer, but a free, fun-filled Scholastic Summer Reading Tour event last Monday at the Vero Beach Book Center drew plenty of excited children eager to hug their favorite story-book characters and meet a few authors. The event was one more tool in the arsenal to promote continued literacy over the summer and avoid the “summer slide” when children lose progress made during the school year.
Scholastic, a national company based out of Seattle, Wash., promotes reading at Road Trip events around the country, their brightly decorated Scholastic RVs touring the nation and encouraging children to read books.
“We house all the schools’ books on their summer reading list and encourage the kids to get them when they come,” said VBBC employee Tiffanie McCurdy. “We have this free event, do story hours on Friday mornings, and have lots of authors and activities over the summer to encourage literacy in general.”
The Book Center also recently held a book drive to help stock the new Learning Alliance Moonshot Moment bookmobile, which will bring books to children in underserved areas of the county all summer long.
At Monday’s event, children had a blast making crafts, spinning a wheel for prizes, entering an Animated GIF Photo Booth to have their pictures taken with book characters, and cooling off with sweet treats from Rita’s Italian Ice.
Inside there was even more excitement as children hugged fluffy book characters, Clifford the Big Red Dog and Geronimo Stilton, an adventure-loving mouse. Five children’s book authors – Walter Wick, J.J. Howard, Mike Maihack, Lisa McCourt and Sandra Markle – signed autographs and chatted with the young readers.
“This is one of the best independent book stores I have ever been to,” said Walter Wick, whose popular “I SPY” photo illustration books translate better on a page than digitally.
“Kids are in front of screens enough these days,” said store owner Chad Leonard. “It’s good to give them a more organic experience with a book over a digital device.”
“From the research I have done, it is never too early to read with your children,” said Caroline Castle, who came to buy books and have them autographed for her 7-month-old baby. “It teaches them language skills and develops an essential love of reading from a young age.”
“Children associate reading as a good time from events like this,” said VBCC Marketing Director Cynthia Callander. “They also get to see that there is a real person who writes these stories for them. There is an old saying that if you can read, you can survive. Whether it is just reading directions or learning about something you need to know, reading can give you all of that knowledge.”
