"If You Give a Child a Book...", it can truly open their world and take them to places they may never get the chance to discover, if it weren’t for reading.
The importance of childhood literacy cannot be understated, and one librarian we spoke to couldn't agree more, sharing her passion for books and teaching young kids the joy of reading.
"Talk, sing, read, write, play… makes a reader every day. Welcome to Summer Reading! We're so excited to have you here with us today."
Carolyn Childs, Library Director the past 15 years at the Gunnison Civic Library, leading a summer reading program that had to go virtual this year.
Reading is something Carolyn is passionate about. In fact, she says reading "changes everything."
Childs says she saw it in her own daughter who struggled to read at first, until a good book and persistence paid off.
"My goodness. The joy! When you create a love of reading in a child, their future is just expanded beyond words."
Childs says she hopes story time like those hosted by the Gunnison Civic Library can help kids feel comfortable with reading and visiting their local library.
"It’s just so fun to see them excited...let them enjoy the library. Not have it be a place of restrictions and don’t touch that, don’t do that. We want them to come and want to be there," says Childs.
Giving kids that access to books is something she believes is life changing, especially in rural and more economically challenged areas.
Childs says, "Reading is going to broaden their horizons. It is going to take them to places beyond where they are. In a book, you can go anywhere. They can see places, they can go places in a book, that otherwise they may never see or even hear about in their lifetime – without a book."
Books can really open new worlds for young readers. And you have the opportunity to give that gift to a young reader right here in our community through FOX 13's "If You Give a Child a Book..." initiative, sponsored by Ken Garff Highline.
To find out how to help, with matching donations from Fox 13 and our parent company Scripps, just go to fox13now.com/giveabook.
