Lee County Library's summer reading program gives kids free books

FORT MYERS, Fla. (WINK)—The Lee County Library System's annual summer reading program is underway, aiming to keep kids engaged with books during their break while offering a cool escape from the heat.

Before the Castillo family hit the road for their camping trip, they made a stop at the Fort Myers Regional Library on Wednesday. The kids were excited to check out books, tablets, and audiobooks.

"I love reading books, and there's like, I don't know how many books are in there," one of the Castillo children said.

Another added they prefer nonfiction because they like learning more about animals. The children's passion for reading grew because of the library system's summer program, which offers participation incentives.

"I liked it because I love reading books, and my favorite part about it was whenever, whenever we read the books, we would get a prize," a Castillo child said.

This year, Sun Coast Credit Union is sponsoring Mighty Muscle tickets for participants ages 6 to 18. Those who complete the reading program receive a voucher for two tickets to a baseball game.

Judi Alvarado, youth services programming coordinator for the Lee County Library System, said the program is about more than just rewards. It's about kids falling in love with reading and making books accessible to everyone at no cost.

"As part of our giving away the free book for every child that signs up, last year we gave away over 14,000 books, so that's a lot of kids coming into the library to pick out a book and participate in summer reading in some form or fashion, and this year we're on track for doing the same thing, if not more," Alvarado said.

When it's time for back-to-school, the Castillo children say they have a lot to look forward to, including going to third grade, reading more books, and having fun. 

The summer reading program ends on Aug. 1.