As part of its summer programming, the New York Public Library is giving away 500,000 free books to kids and teens this summer, starting yesterday! All you need is a library card — and you can sign up for one there if you don’t have one yet. The selections include picture books, chapter books, and YA titles in a variety of genres. There are also titles available in Spanish, Chinese, and large-print editions.
Multiple studies have shown that owning books is a big boost to children’s literacy. A kid growing up in a home with at least 80 books is associated with higher literacy levels, and in fact showed a similar impact as whether or not their parents had a secondary education: teens who grew up with a library of books at home “become as literate, numerate and technologically apt in adulthood as university graduates who grew up with only a few books.”
Kids who own just one book of their own are six times more likely to read above grade level and three times as likely to enjoy reading.
Visiting the library and checking out books with kids is always a good idea, but having the ability to pick a book out to keep forever is something that can really change a child’s relationship to books and reading.
Learn more about all of the New York Public Library’s summer programming, including lots of free events, at their website.
Find more news and stories of interest from the book world in Breaking in Books.