Jesse White announces Family Reading Night set for November 17th

 

Springfield, IL – Illinois Secretary of State and State Librarian Jesse White is urging families in Illinois to spend time together reading on the evening of Thursday, November 17th to celebrate the Secretary of State’s annual Family Reading Night.

“This special event is a night when parents and children are encouraged to turn off the television, computers, video games and other forms of entertainment and spend time reading together,” White said. “Reading together creates a positive learning environment and helps children develop a love for reading that can last a lifetime.”

The theme of this year’s event is “Reading Takes You Places.”  Thousands of colorful posters and bookmarks have been distributed by the Illinois State Library and Illinois Center for the Book to libraries, schools, literacy programs and other organizations to promote Family Reading Night. This is the 20th year in which the Secretary of State’s office has sponsored Family Reading Night. It is intended for pre-kindergarten to 6th grade children and their families.

White identified some of the ways participants throughout Illinois are planning to take part in Family Reading Night this year. 

• At Howard Area Community Center in Chicago, organizers will have age appropriate books related to transportation and travel to correspond with this year’s Family Reading Night theme.  Parents and children will read together and discuss where in the world they would like to travel.  Responses will be displayed on a model school bus that children will have made using cardboard and paint. A potluck dinner will be enjoyed by families and staff.
• At Centro Romero in Chicago, participants will read and have activities based around the book “My Life with The Wave” by Catherine Cowan.  The story is adopted and translated from Octavio Paz’s Nobel Prize winning short story of the same name.  Parents and children will read the story together, watch and listen to a reading of the story from a Reading Rainbow Episode, and discuss the book.  At the end of the evening, families will take home a copy of the book.
• At Highland Community College in Freeport, activities will be based around the season of autumn.  Books about the season will be displayed for parents and children to read. Group activities include singing autumn theme-based songs. Each child will receive a free age-appropriate book to add to their family’s home library.
• At Carl Sandburg College Adult Education and Literacy Program in Carthage, participants will use the “Reading Takes You Places” theme and read from children’s books on travel to various places around the world.  Organizers will have a hot air balloon photo frame craft session with the parent and child’s photo in it for the family to make and take home.
• At Kaskaskia College Family Success in Centralia, organizers will use the “Reading Takes You Places” theme to have parent/child discussions, story reading and storytellers time.  Free bookmarks and a bag of books will be given to each family to take home and read.  
• Rock Island Library will hire a local actor to portray popular children’s book character Junie B. Jones in an interactive skit to promote reading and parenting.  There will be a buffet dinner for the event.
• The Aurora Public Library will celebrate Family Reading Night at the Aurora Regional Fire Museum with stories and activities for families with children ages 5 and up. After a story time, participants may explore the museum.

For more information about Family Reading Night, visit  www.cyberdriveillinois.com.