Students all over the United States will be having their summer holidays soon and many of them will forgo reading. Libraries in Chicago want kids to continue to read for the next two months and will be giving away over one million children’s books to those who register for the library’s summer program.
The Chicago Library system will set a record for the most books given away and the organizers are primarily doing this to address a persistent lack of access to books in low-income neighborhoods. “The challenge is that there are many homes in Chicago that do not have age-appropriate books for kids,” Chicago Public Library Commissioner Brian Bannon said. “Obviously you can take a library book home, but owning your own is very different.”
As part of the giveaway, school-age children will receive a bag filled with a dozen fiction and nonfiction books when they register for summer programming starting Monday. Those younger than 5 also will receive a free transportation-themed book.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
