The Wahkiakum County Eagle - Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891

The walk is lined with aquamarine and canary colored flowers, over the entrance a banner boasts ‘Dream Big, Read!’, as the sliding doors open a tree with purple and teal branches holds cosmic ornaments boasting the names of young readers; it is summer at the Naselle Timberland Regional Library.

Inside, librarians are ready with reading kits that include a reading log, a bookmark and coupons to Papa Murphys, McDonalds and the Point Defiance Zoo among other goodies.

Children like Courtney and Rachel Paul participate in a scavenger hunt, scouring the reading sections for hidden photos of planets. “There is Earth,” Courtney, a third grader at Naselle tells her sister who will enter kindergarten this fall. The girls continue their search and are rewarded with a treat at the front desk.

This is all part of the Summer Reading Program. “Programs and events are open to everyone, whether you have a library card or not - kids, teens and families can enjoy our upcoming magic show, painted sky program, and of course, our end of the summer ice cream party and great egg hunt!” said Library Manager, Michelle Zilli. “For those who can’t attend on Wednesdays, we’ve also got weekly guessing jars and night hunt scavenger hunts. Tuesday evenings in August, we’ll hold a month of night-time themed story times. And especially for teens, a different project each week to do in your own time on your own schedule.”

It is no secret that students lose information over the summer months. There are conflicting reports about how much school-year knowledge is lost, and it does differ between children, but on average, students are estimated to lose about one month of grade-level equivalency over the summer months they are out of school. To combat this, Timberland Regional Library has instituted a summer reading program as an incentive for students to continue their reading.

“Children can pick out a free book the minute they sign up, and they’ll have other chances to win a free book throughout the summer,” explained Zilli. “And of course you can check out books (and other stuff) as well - not just the paper kind, but you can also download to an e-reader, tablet, smartphone, etc. Kids who participate in a library’s summer reading program improve their reading skills, not just prevent that summer skill loss.”

Library events are open to everyone. Though TRL is part of Pacific County, the Friends of the Naselle Library provide Wahkiakum County families with children in the Naselle-Grays River school district a free 6-month library card for the entire household - everyone living in the household can check out materials from the library for 6 months without paying the non-resident fee. But Zilli asserted, “We really do invite everybody to participate in any of our events without a library card. We hope to see you soon!”