Swan Valley Library celebrates readers

SWAN VALLEY - In May Town Pump awarded the Swan Valley Community Library with a $1,000 grant to support their Summer Reading Program. The goal is to get the community children reading as much as possible on their summer vacation.

Children from the Swan Valley and Salmon Prairie schools were all invited to participate. Twenty-eight students signed up for the program and 12 students returned their reading logs. Once the student read 75 units, one unit was either one book for the little children or 15 minutes for the older children, they were eligible for a gift card for a pizza at the Hungry Bear Bar & Grill. The one who read the most over the summer won a $500 VISA Gift Card.

After reading nearly 100 hours, Swan Valley resident Cadence Bernt, 14-years-old and the oldest of five children, swept the competition.

"I love reading. It is one of my favorite subjects," Cadence said. "I can't go without at least having one book to read."

While Cadence said she would have read throughout the summer without the program, the $500 Gift Card "definitely" encouraged her to read more.

"I was super excited [to win]. I've kind of always thought it would be really cool to have a gift card or a visa card I could spent," Cadence said. "It is really helpful having a program for reading and having a library down here is super fun. It helps me get ready for school in the fall and winter and keeps my spelling up."

Jeremiah Bernt, Cadence's father, said the summer program was a great motivator for all five of his children to keep reading throughout the summer. His children Miles Bernt and Darian Bernt received gift cards after reading more than 75 units.

Elijah Perry, Benjamen Perry, Josephine Perry and Kaya Hunt also received a Hungry Bear gift card after reading more than 75 units.

In addition to the Summer Reading Program, the Library hosted story/craft events on Mondays throughout the summer. The Library hosted a few events in collaboration with Swan Valley Connections. Sara Lamar brought in many animal furs and had the children guess what animals they were. She also discussed their footprints and some of the characteristics common to each animal.

Looking forward to the fall, Librarian Jenny Kauffman said they are still hosting a book chat at 1 p.m. on the second Wednesday of the month. The book for October is "Carmelo" by Sandra Cisneros.

Here's a brief look at what the book offers, "During her family's annual car trip from Chicago to Mexico City, Lala Reyes listens to stories about her family, including her grandmother, the descendant of a renowned dynasty of shawl makers, whose magnificent striped shawl has come into Lala's possession."

Books are available for check out and everyone is welcome to attend.

The Swan Valley Library is a branch library of the Missoula Public Library. It is located on Highway 83 in Condon and is just north and adjacent to the Swan Valley Community Hall. The library is open Mondays and Fridays from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. and Wednesdays from 10 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. For more information call 406-754-2521.