Every
child gets a new, free “passport” and more, to explore a world of reading
Toronto (June 17, 2013) – Kids can explore the world this summer through the 2013 TD Summer
Reading Club at Toronto Public Library. This year’s theme is GO! -- encouraging
children to journey to places near and far, from the backyard to other worlds,
all through the joy of reading.
Through generous support from TD Bank Group,
the TD Summer Reading Club is developed by Toronto Public Library and offered
to libraries nationwide in partnership with Library and Archives Canada. The program and website (www.tdsummerreadingclub.ca, opens a new window) were launched May
29 and the program will kick off in Toronto library branches after the last day
of school.
The TD Summer Reading
Club is a free, inclusive national and bilingual program -- available only at
Canadian public libraries -- that strives to engage children 12 years of age
and younger in the joy of reading during the summer months. Research shows that
children who attend summer reading clubs improve their reading skills and
increase their love of reading, returning to school in the fall without
learning loss and with an increased confidence in reading and in school.
“For years now, the TD Summer Reading Club
has become a summer tradition for families across Canada, for the simple reason
that the Club makes reading fun,” said Lisa Heggum, Children and Youth
Advocate, Toronto Public Library. “Research has shown again and again, that
when reading is fun for kids, they’ll read more and make it a lifelong habit.
And we know that the more kids read, the more successful they will be in school
and in life.”
Children who join the Club receive a new
“passport” plus a pre-reading activity book, or a school-age magazine that they
can enjoy all summer. The more Club members read (or are read to) the more passport
stickers they’ll earn that offer even more bonus website content at www.tdsummerreadingclub.ca, opens a new window. The TD Summer
Reading Club website also features recommended reading lists, drawing
“how-to’s”, kid-submitted jokes and drawings, puzzles, silly stories, and new this
year, digital books to read online.
Children are also invited to participate in
the slate of fun, free TD Summer Reading Club programs and events being offered
this summer at Toronto Public Library branches across the city. Expect special
guests, scavenger hunts, puppet shows, crafts, games, bingo and everything in
between.
Award-winning painter, illustrator and
musician Matt James is behind this year’s TD Summer Reading Club artistic
elements. His picture books, Yellow Moon,
Apple Moon by Pamela Porter and I
Know Here by Laurel Croza, have received many awards, including the Boston
Globe-Horn Book Award and TD’s Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award. Matt has
most recently illustrated Northwest
Passage by Stan Rogers (September 2013) and he is currently working with
Laurel Croza on a follow-up to I Know
Here.
Matt lives in Toronto and he will be leading
drawing programs for kids at six Toronto Public Library branches throughout the
summer. Space for this program is
limited and advance registration with the local branch is advised.
Matt
James Drawing Program Schedule
Barbara Frum Branch, opens a new window , opens a new window– July 2 at 2 p.m.
Northern District Branch, opens a new window – July 11 at 2 p.m
Parkdale Branch, opens a new window – July 18 at 2 p.m.
Highland Creek Branch, opens a new window – July 23 at 2 p.m.
Thorncliffe Park Branch, opens a new window – August 8 at 2 p.m.
York Woods Branch, opens a new window – August 15 at 2 p.m.
TD Summer Reading Club began at Toronto
Public Library in 1994, expanded across Ontario in 2001, then more widely
across Canada in 2004. In 2012, a total of 1,993 library branches nationwide
participated in the TD Summer Reading Club.
For more information about how to participate
in the TD Summer Reading Club, and for a full listing of upcoming programs and
events, please visit a Toronto Public Library branch or
www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/go, opens a new window.
ABOUT
TORONTO PUBLIC LIBRARY
Toronto Public
Library is one of the world's busiest urban public library systems. Every year,
19 million people visit our branches in neighbourhoods across the city and
borrow 32 million items. To learn more about Toronto Public Library, visit our
website at torontopubliclibrary.ca or call Answerline at 416-393-7131. To get
the most current updates on what's happening at the library, follow us on
Twitter @torontolibrary
, opens a new window
ABOUT
THE TORONTO PUBLIC LIBRARY FOUNDATION
The character and quality of a city depends
on the resources available to its people. A great library is a fundamental
requirement for any city to achieve its full social and economic potential.
Toronto's Library is vital to the city and vital to support. The Toronto Public Library Foundation advocates for
Toronto’s library system and supports it by raising funds that are used to
enhance collections and services, update technology and revitalize community
spaces. The Foundation has raised more than $59 million since 1998. Foundation
funding enables programs that promote literacy and the love of reading, skills
development and capacity building, and social and cultural connection, for
individuals across all ages and backgrounds. Government support is necessary to
ensure public libraries exist. Donor
support makes sure libraries thrive.
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Media
Contact:
Andrea
McLoughlin, Holmes PR
amcloughlin@holmespr.com / 416-628-5609