The Summer Stars reading programme is running in public libraries throughout the country this summer. Summer Stars is a free programme, open to all children.

Each child who registers for the programme at their local library joins in the fun of reading lots of exciting books during the summer. Children will receive their own Summer Stars Reading Card to record their progress and the Summer Stars Reward Stamp will be added to their card at the library for each book read. Fun rewards will be provided along the way. At the end of the programme, all children who have participated will be invited to attend an awards event.

• Encourage children to choose stories they are likely to really enjoy.
• Try to keep stories appropriate to their reading level. If too hard or too easy, they may lose interest or confidence.
• Comic books or graphic novels can be a good way of helping children to follow the story if they have difficulty reading or are reluctant readers.
• When they find a word they don’t understand, try to avoid telling them the meaning straightaway. Ask them instead to guess what the unknown word is likely to be based on the pictures near to it or by looking at the full sentence around it.
• Give lots of encouragement and praise for even the smallest accomplishment.
• Focus on the enjoyment and fun of reading. If you show an interest in reading and learning yourself, your child will be more likely to follow your lead and explore as well.

You can visit the webpage http://www.librariesireland.ie/summer-stars/ or Clondalkin Library, or your local library, for further details.

Happy Reading!