The library will celebrate its 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten challenge August 8 at 10:30 a.m. at the East Regional Library in Destrehan. The event will include a puppet show, craft and sweet treat.
The event is open to those who completed the challenge and those just starting the challenge.
Lauren Campo Pitz, assistant director at the library, said the event will feature a short award ceremony for the kids who completed the challenge.
“We always knew that we wanted to host a yearly celebration for all of the kids who completed the 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten challenge because reading that many books is definitely something to be celebrated,” Pitz said.
There are currently 276 children registered for the challenge, and three kids have completed it.
“Considering that we just began the challenge in January–only six months ago–these three kids and their families have been reading a ton this year,” she said. “Overall, participants have read almost 13,000 books total.”
Pitz said the challenge encourages parents, grandparents and other caregivers to read books to young children, which helps to create a solid foundation for school readiness and broaden the child’s vocabulary and knowledge about a variety of subjects.
“Parents and caregivers are a child’s first teachers, and when children read with people who care about them, it creates a positive association with reading and learning as well as strengthens bonds between the child and their parents or caregivers,” she said.
The puppet show at the event will feature Elephant and Piggie, two characters from the popular children’s book series by Mo Williams. After the puppet show, there will be a puppet craft for the children, followed by a sweet treat.
“We hope that [attendees] leave feeling joyful and excited about reading,” Pitz said. “Reading is a low-cost activity that families can do together with long-lasting benefits, so we hope that this celebration will encourage families to continue to read together long after they complete the program.”