Kadena library joins 'Have Book - Will Travel' summer reading program

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  • By 18th Wing Public Affairs
KADENA AIR BASE, Japan --  Registration opens here June 10 for a summer reading program open to military families everywhere.

The program's theme is "Have Book - Will Travel!"

"Last summer the program set a new reading record: more than 13.2 million minutes spent reading," said Belinda Pugh, Kadena librarian. "Each year the program is making a bigger impact on families' lives. This year's theme will really resonate with our families, who really are on the move, and a book can be a safe and comforting place as they travel the world."

Air Force libraries have launched the summer reading program and are planning a host of activities for children, teens and adults designed to encourage the love of reading.

The Kadena program's kick-off party is from 6-7 p.m. at the Schilling Community Center. A travel club is every Wednesday in July. The closing ceremony is from 1-3 p.m. Aug. 17 at the Schilling Community Center.
  
Program participants can also win prizes for reaching their reading goals, said Margie Buchanan, Air Force Personnel Center libraries branch chief.

"Reading is a critical skill for children and adults alike,"  Buchanan said. "Successful careers and lives depend on strong reading and comprehension skills, so we're committed to helping people learn to love reading early, and supporting their love of reading throughout their lives."

Reading is not only fun, it's important.

"Decades of research shows that students typically score lower on standardized tests at the end of summer vacation than they do on the same tests at the beginning of the summer," Pugh said. "Summer reading programs can help to offset this loss, because studies also indicate students who read recreationally out-performed those who don't. Students read more when they can choose materials based on their own interests."

Summer reading programs are valuable not only in building a lifelong love of reading, but as a means for families and children to spend time together, an especially important aspect for military families.

For more information on the program, call Pugh at 632-8935 or email Belinda.pugh@us.af.mil. Information is also available at http://ila.org/dodsumread.

(Information from AFPC contributed to this article.)