Debra Oldenburg
Preschool Outreach Coordinator

Spring was really in the air recently at the day care centers. I saw children hopping down the corridors with bunny ears on their heads and baskets in their tightly clenched little hands. Pastel dresses with flowers, chicks and bunnies adorned many of the little girls and the boys have begun to replace their winter worn sneakers with sandals and rubber clogs. Egg hunts were in full bloom on playgrounds, in classrooms and at homes all across Hickory. It is a sure sign of spring. I won’t even mention all the blooming azalea bushes, dogwoods, tulips, and pollen. Spring is here, taxes were due and now the egg hunt is over.

April quickly brings us to the reality that the year is passing. The first quarter of 2007 is over and now that spring is here, we need to start looking ahead to summer. Parents will begin to look for summer programs and activities for their children. I have already seen signs all around town about summer camp opportunities. Childcare will be sought. Vacations will be planned and reservations made. Lawn mowers, weed eaters and garden tools will be tuned up, filled up and cranked up. Gardens planted and flower beds laid out.

At the library summer plans are well underway. The egg hunt is over, but the mystery will continue. This summer our reading program will be called “Get a Clue @ Your Library.” Special programs for the children are being planned and promise to be filled with fun and new experiences. As adults we know that the summer reading program is not about the special theme, reading logs, and prize slips. Summer reading is all about getting children enthused about the mystery of reading. It is about the freedom to choose books they want to read, not those they have to read. Reading in summer is about leisure time being filled with stories. Reading in summer is about new readers learning to love a book and not losing the skills they learned in school this past year. Reading in summer is all about becoming a life long reader. The programs and prizes are just incentives to help the children come to the realization that reading can be fun, entertaining, educational and enjoyable. Sign your child up for the summer reading program after May 13 th.

At the Hickory Public Library the egg hunt is over, but the mystery is just beginning!