A summer reading program for kids, teens and adults launches June 1 at local public libraries. Because library buildings currently remain closed due to COVID-19 public health guidance, there are a few changes this year, but the annual program’s focus on discovery remains the same.

The Bellingham Public Library and Whatcom County Library System team up each year to provide summer reading engagement for all ages, featuring a popular bingo-card format. The bingo squares inspire readers to discover new things and ways to read. As participants read or listen to a book, they keep track of their progress on the cards. Every child and teen who sets and meets a personal reading goal will receive a book to keep. Adult participants may enter drawings to win fun reading-related prizes.

Bingo cards in English, Punjabi, Russian or Spanish are available to download and print at the library systems’ websites. Community members may also call Bellingham Public Library at (360) 778-7323 or Whatcom County Library System (WCLS) at (360) 305-3600 to request cards be mailed to them.

Library staff have also replaced traditional in-person summer reading events with engaging online activities for children and teens. For example, Saturday, June 6, from 1-1:45 p.m., WCLS kicks off summer reading for children in grades K-5 with a live, virtual program from the Science Tellers.  Story and science are the perfect pair in this interactive tale of two brave villagers who go on a daring journey to release the dragons and save their kingdom from the Evil Ice Sorceress.  Special effects bring the story to life, and participants help investigate the “behind-the-scenes” science experiments. Register via the link available in the event listing on WCLS’s online calendar, wcls.org.  

The summer reading program continues through Sept. 30, 2020.