For Immediate Release: May 15, 2006

Summer Reading Program Gives Kids Plenty of Creepy, Crawly
Reasons to Get into the Library and into Books

(Oakland, CA) — Leaping librarians, there’s lizards at the library! Giant millipedes strolling through the magazines! Hissing cockroaches and mad whip scorpions causing a commotion at the check-out desk... These creepy critters are on a mission at Oakland libraries this summer: To capture the imagination of our city’s youngest readers. Paws and Claws, Scales and Tales is the theme of the 2006 Summer Reading Program, which starts Saturday, June 10 and runs through August 12.

Ambassador bugs from the Insect Discovery Lab and reptile representatives from East Bay Vivarium are just a few of the guests we have planned to get kids up to age 13 into libraries and into reading this summer. See the schedule for all the wild magic acts, music, theater, and other programs our librarians have lined up.

Kids can come into any of our libraries or the Bookmobile to sign up and start reading their way to valuable prizes, including free books and other goodies, like tickets to some of Oakland’s hottest attractions. Pre-readers can also participate by having someone read to them. Children are encouraged to read anything they want for the program, so they can develop their own interests and a love for reading.

Families can also get involved by attending a Family Literacy Night, sponsored with a generous grant to the Summer Reading Program from the Stocker Foundation. These special literacy programs planned in partnership with the library’s Second Start Family Literacy Program will combine crafts and story time with tips on how families can nurture the next generation of readers.

Families are also invited to a special Family Explorations Program on Sunday, August 20, from 1 to 5 pm, where we will celebrate the end of Summer Reading with a performance by singer/guitarist Gary Lapow, a library favorite. There will also be crafts and other fun activities at this program, offered in partnership with the Oakland Museum. The event will be held at the Oakland Museum, at 1000 Oak Street.

So what about those prizes? This years participants can earn free admission tickets to the Oakland Museum of California, Lawrence Hall of Science, Children’s Fairyland, and the Oakland Ice Center. Additionally, anyone who completes the game will qualify for a raffle to win more prizes, such as tickets to Paramount’s Great America, Oakland A’s baseball games, the Alameda/Oakland Ferry, Six Flags Marine World, Chabot Space & Science Center, and more. And new this year, children can win a small prize just for visiting the library four or more times.

Sponsors of the Summer Reading Program include Friends of the Oakland Public Library, The Stocker Foundation, Alameda/Oakland Ferry Service, Ben & Jerry’s - Jack London Square, California Academy of Sciences, Chabot Space & Science Center, Children’s Fairyland, Renaissance Rialto Theaters (Grand Lake Theater), Hometown Buffet, Lawrence Hall of Science, Oakland A’s Baseball Team, Oakland Ice Center, Oakland Museum of California, Paramount’s Great America/Bonfante Gardens, Round Table Pizza, and Six Flags Marine World.

So creep, crawl, flutter, and fly your way into the library this summer. All the cool bugs will be there! For more more information, visit your local library, check out our web site at www.oaklandlibrary.org, or call (510) 238-3615. To request sign interpretation, or other accommodation, call the number above or (510) 834-7446 (TTY) at least five working days prior to the event. The Oakland Public Library is a department of the City of Oakland.

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