Thank you to Children's Librarian Hasina Islam for submitting this Summer Reading story from the Kantrowitz Family!
Meet the Kantrowitz Family
Cara: I was born in Brooklyn, but didn't actually grow up here. My husband and I moved here after I finished graduate school and started working for the Department of Education. I've always loved to read. I immediately got a library card and was constantly maxing out the number of books on hold at a time. Now that our kids are (almost!) 5 and 16 months, we spend SO MUCH time at the library. We meet friends, attend story times and kindergarten readiness programs, and of course summer reading is a big part of our summer.
Charles: When I stayed home with our daughter I made it a point to come to the library every week for the babies and books sing alongs. Mayana loved the stories, and the music and I loved the chance to connect with other parents in the community. Those Friday morning sing alongs really helped develop her love of books and my repertoire of songs to sing.
Cara: I remember doing Summer Reading programs as a kid and I'm so excited to watch my kids' interest in reading blossom. Seeing my 4 year old really reading is amazing, and I know that summer reading has been a motivating factor in that. Last summer Mayana set herself a goal of 100 books, and she not only met it but exceeded it! Coming to the library every week to pick out new books, and getting help from the librarians on finding books that fit her ever changing interests is always fun and exciting for her. Practicing asking the librarians for help finding books has really helped her come out of her shell. This summer she set a goal of 200 books, which is tricky since she's into chapter books now, but we are working on it! There's no way we could do that without the library, the summer reading program challenged her. Plus, logistically where could we fit 200 new and different books in our Brooklyn apartment?! I mean we own tons of books, but can you imagine trying to support that kind of reading habit in 1000 square feet?!
Mayana: Summer reading is great! I love getting the stickers too. I love the library because I love computer stories and the books that we get. My favorites are chapter books about The Incredibles and books about baseball and The United Tweets of America. I am going to read 200 books this summer. It’s because I love big big numbers. I’m going to get there fast! Learning to read is great because some books that you learn to read are pretty tricky to read. It’s really fun reading with my family.
Cara: Judah is not even a year and a half, and is just the chattiest baby. He loves to look at his Summer Reading Books and ask "Whats that?!" having a constantly rotating assortment of new, age appropriate books keeps him so engaged. I love that he walks into the library, picks a book off the shelf on his own and sits down to "read" it. I love that the Summer Reading program has options and guidance for even the youngest readers, and Judah is SO excited when he gets to go to the librarian and ask, "Judah sticker please?"
Judah: “Book! Book! Baby book!”
Thanks to everyone who participated in Summer Reading 2018!
This blog post reflects the opinions of the author and does not necessarily represent the views of Brooklyn Public Library.
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