News Release

San Francisco – For thousands of children in San Francisco, June brings the end of the school year and the start of the Library’s Summer Reading Club program. This year’ program, Dragons, Dreams and Daring Deeds, will be held this year for children through age 13 from June 11 through August 6 at the Main Library, branches and children’s bookmobile.

The Summer Reading Club is a city wide program designed to encourage children to read during the summer months. Delving into a book is always an adventure; it’s a journey into another world, one that can be very similar to or very different from the one in which the reader lives. Summer Reading Club participants may read whatever interests them from the many and varied choice of books that are found in library collections, including books in languages other than English. Pre-school age children can participate by having someone read to them. There will also be a theme related reading list featuring books of fantasy, magic, legends and the time of wizards, knights and castles.

Every child who registers receives a Dragons, Dreams and Daring Deeds bookmark, featuring the art of beloved illustrator Steven Kellogg. After that, children are awarded prizes after reading for 2, 4 and 6 hours, with a grand prize choice for reading for eight hours or more and visiting the library at least twice. Grand prize choices include: a free book, a dragon or unicorn toy, or passes for a parent and child to a number of Bay Area children’s attractions. This year there will be an added bonus: The Heart of the Forest Renaissance Faire is offering free entry for to Summer Reading Club participants, aged 6-13, and a parent, who also participate in their on-line Time Games adventure.

In addition to participating in the Summer Reading Club, young people aged 10-16 are invited to become Kid Power volunteers and help out at the library during the summer.

Children and families can also attend numerous programs offered at their neighborhood library on a regular basis throughout the eight weeks of summer reading. Programs feature a wide variety of free high quality performances for children by musicians, magicians, acrobats, storytellers, puppeteers, and more. Each month the Library’s newsletter At the Public Library will list all these exciting events in the calendar section.

Children’s librarians are available to answer questions, recommend intriguing books and assist in any way. Please visit or call your local library to learn more.

Dragons, Dreams and Daring Deeds is underwritten by the Friends of the San Francisco Public Library, with generous support from the Aquarium of the Bay; Bay Area Discovery Museum; Barnes and Noble; California Academy of Sciences; Double Rainbow; Heart of the Forest Renaissance Faire; Metreon – a SONY Entertainment Center; Presidio Bowling Center; Ripley’s Believe It or Not; San Francisco Giants and Oracle Ready to Read Program; San Francisco Zoological Society, Morris Stulsaft Foundation and ZEUM.

For more information, please call 415 557-4277.