The Summer Reading Program at the Dare County Libraries is designed to be flexible and fun for children of all ages. Parents can rest easy knowing the Summer Reading Program is educational and will help children maintain the reading skills they developed throughout the school year, so they are better prepared to enter the classroom once again in the fall.

The Dare County Library’s Summer Reading Program is planned to promote participation in weekly programs scheduled at every library location, as well as for individual participation on their own time. Children may stop by the library any time it is open to report and record their reading achievement.

This year’s Summer Reading theme is “A UNIVERSE OF STORIES!” and many fun and exciting programs have been planned. Children can register and begin reading on Monday, June 17. Children can sign up for the Summer Reading Program at the Hatteras Library on Tuesday June 18, or any day after this, whenever the library is open. The program will reward children who read a total of 30 days during the summer by awarding them a brand-new free book of their choosing.

Additionally, children can enter to win a great grand prize at each library location, based on the number of days you read. The more days your child reads this summer, the more entries they automatically have to win a grand prize. Days reading over the summer are tracked at each library, and books that your child reads can be library books or books from home.
Preschool age children are invited to enroll in a special “A UNIVERSE OF STORIES!” Summer Reading Program just for them, designed to improve their reading and listening skills. Parents can track the books they read with their preschoolers. The children will receive a sticker for each day they read or are read to on their reading log.

Summer is a particularly busy time on the Outer Banks for parents; however, it’s extremely important to take the time to encourage your children to participate in the Dare County Library’s Summer Reading Program. When children are out of school and not reading on a regular basis, they lose on average one month’s worth of instruction. Researchers call this phenomenon “the summer slide”. Imagine your child starting the school year in August a full month behind. Avoid “the summer slide” for your child by having them participate in our free and fun program.
Reading can begin on Monday, June 17 and registration at the Hatteras Library can begin on Tuesday, June 18 or any day or time the library is open after June 17.

The Hatteras Library kicks off summer programming with “Don’t Make It Bright, Clean Up the Night!” Do you ever wonder what happens in the Library at night? Come to the Hatteras Library on Tuesday, July 2 at 6:30 pm and find out! We will have interactive displays, crafts, and Star gazing. Our partners for this special program are the Hatteras Island Ocean Center, Roanoke Island Aquarium and the North Carolina Beach Buggy Association. Our thanks to the International Dark-Sky Association for the free informational pamphlets, and a special thanks to Lee Robinson General Store for providing food and refreshments. This program is free and for all ages.

Our next special free Summer Reading Program event will be on Tuesday, July 9 with Donna Pruett, “The Balloon Lady”. We invite children of all ages to join the fun with this special event. The Balloon Lady will twist balloons into incredible creations right before your eyes. Her entertaining program includes her award-winning balloon formations, music, and storytelling that will appeal to children of all ages. Don’t miss her fun and high energy performance! The Balloon Lady will be at the Hatteras Village Civic Center (just up the street from the Hatteras Library) on Tuesday, July 9, 2019 from 9:00 am to 10:00 am. The program is free, and children under the age of 8 must be accompanied by an adult.

On Wednesday, July 17 Magician Hunter Rhodes will present a free performance for all ages, as well as a Magic Workshop for older children. In the last year, Hunter Rhodes has performed over 250 times for literally thousands of people, often incorporating his roots in music to add the perfect complement to his performance. Hunter brings his special style of humor, audience involvement and magical entertainment to every one of his magic shows. He consistently provides entertaining experiences for all. The magic show on Wednesday, July 17 will be held from 9:00 am to 10:00 am at the Hatteras Library. The program is free, and children under the age of 8 must be accompanied by an adult. Hunter will also host a free Magic Workshop for older children in 4th grade through 12th grade on Wednesday, July 17 at the Hatteras Library at 10 am to 11:00 am.

The week of July 22nd, we will have a Star Lab portable planetarium experience. The Star Lab portable planetarium is an immersive, interactive experience, that will show children an awesome intergalactic experience. Thursday, July 25, Star Lab comes to the Hatteras Library with several sessions between 11:00 am and 3:30 pm. Space for each session is limited and preregistration is required by calling the Hatteras Library at 986-2385. Due to space limitations children need to be old enough to able to stay in the Star Lab independently, parents will only be allowed in if there are seats available.

Mondays will bring the special local talent of the Lost Colony Children’s Theater to the Dare County Libraries. The cast of “Wanda’s Monster” will perform a scene from the play and then present an interactive program including theater games for children. The Lost Colony Children’s Theater will be at the Hatteras Library on Monday, August 5 from 10:30 am to 11:30 am.

The NC Aquarium will present “Stars: Up High and Down Below”. Join Rhana Paris from the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island as she presents an interesting program about stars in the sky and stars that are in the ocean. NC Aquarium will be at the Hatteras Library on Thursday, August 1 from 1:30 pm to 2:30 pm. This program is geared for children ages 5 and up.

We will wrap-up Summer Reading on Wednesday, August 14 with ScienceTellers presenting “Aliens”. During a midnight meteor shower, something mysterious falls from the sky toward Earth – but it’s not a shooting star. Two curious kids venture into the forest to investigate and find themselves mixed up with a family of visitors from another planet! Pursued by a crazy space scientist, they must risk everything to rescue the aliens and get them back to their spaceship before it’s too late! Join us for ScienceTellers “Aliens” at the Hatteras Library on Wednesday, August 14 from 9:00 am to 10:00 am. Don’t miss this action-packed and educational alien adventure using science experiments for special effects. It’s totally out of this world! The program is free, and children under the age of 8 must be accompanied by an adult.

Major funding for the 2019 Summer Reading program comes from The Dare County Library Foundation, www.darecountylibraryfoundation.org. The Dare County Library Foundation was established in 2002 to enhance library services and collections. The mission of the Dare County Library Foundation is to improve the quality of services that the Dare County Library provides to the community. By securing resources to support library programs and projects not normally met by public funding, the library can grow and better meet the needs of our community.

We hope that parents, grandparents and caregivers will give their child, grandchild, niece or nephew the opportunity to discover or rediscover the wholesome enjoyment that reading for pleasure can give to a young person as they discover “A UNIVERSE OF STORIES!” at the Dare County Library this summer. With all of the programs we have scheduled, the best way to keep track of the “A UNIVERSE OF STORIES!” Summer Reading Program is to head to your local Dare County Library location and pick up a calendar of events, or to check our website calendar by location.