One day, your kids are jumping for joy because school’s out for the summer.
The next day, they’re whining, “I’m bored.”
Before they get too “antsy,” sign them up for the King County Library System’s (KCLS) Summer Reading Program, titled “Catch the Reading Bug.”
The Redmond Regional Library, 15990 NE 85th St., and other KCLS branches are offering prizes to children who read (or are read to) throughout the summer. Several free, bug-themed events are also scheduled.
On the morning of June 4, students at Albert Einstein Elementary watched a DVD “rated G for Goofy,” which was made to look and sound like a summer movie trailer. “ONE SPIDER … ONE WATERSPOUT … ONE STRETCHED PREMISE …” a voice bellowed. Dramatic music — the “Pirates of the Caribbean” theme and “The Final Countdown” — played in the background as hands wearing stick-on googly eyes acted out the tale of the Itsy-Bitsy Spider and his “majestic journey of self-discovery.”
After the comical presentation, children’s librarian Cat Whitaker from the Redmond branch told kids how to “Catch the Reading Bug” and qualify for prizes:
1. Sign up online at kcls.org for the program, which starts June 16.
2. Pick up a summer reading log at the library.
3. Read, be read to, or listen to an audio book at least 20 minutes at a time. For each 20 minutes completed, color in a section on the reading log.
4. When 500 minutes are completed, present the reading log to get a coupon for a free personal pan pizza from Pizza Hut.
5. At the 1,000-minute mark, present the reading log to receive a free set of binoculars — and at the Redmond location, also get a free paperback book, courtesy of Friends of the Library.
6. Children who complete and submit the “Catch the Reading Bug” log by Aug. 31 will be entered into a drawing to win a computer. However, Redmond library patrons should be aware that the library will be temporarily closed for remodeling in late summer. The tentative closure period is Aug. 15 through approximately October. So kids who finish their reading logs before Aug. 15 can bring them in to the Redmond location. Otherwise, reading logs will be accepted at neighboring KCLS branches, such as Bellevue, Kirkland or Woodinville.
This summer’s live entertainment events at the Redmond Regional Library will include:
• “Beetlemania” with The Brian Waite Band, for ages 3 and older, 2 p.m. Wednesday, June 25.
• “Buzz, Smack, Splat: The Dangerous Lives of Bugs,” with Charlie Williams, The Noiseguy, for all ages, 2 p.m. Saturday, July 12.
• “La Cucaracha” presented by Marco Cortes, all ages, 2 p.m. Monday, July 21.
• “Thumbelina” presented by Oregon Shadow Theatre, ages 4 and older, 2 p.m. Friday, July 25.
• “Waiter, There’s a Fly in My Song!” presented by Eric Ode, ages 6 and older, 2 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 5.
• “Meet the Beetles!” presented by Rowbes, all ages, 2 p.m. Friday, Aug. 15.
Free tickets are available at the library’s information desk, half an hour before each performance.
For details, call (425) 885-1861 or visit www.kcls.org.