Federal Way Mayor Skip Priest and the Mariner Moose celebrate summer readers
To see more pictures from this event, head to the Road Map Project’s Facebook page.

FEDERAL WAY – Two special guests helped make the Federal Way Library’s summer reading celebration a home run on Tuesday afternoon.

The Mariner Moose and Federal Way Mayor Skip Priest joined librarians as they congratulated local children who participated in the King County Library System’s “Dream Big, Read!” summer reading program.

During the event, dozens of children helped the special guests sing songs, including “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” and the “Moose Bingo Song.” Mayor Priest also read a book, “If You Give a Moose a Muffin,” to the Moose and crowd. Children later helped act out stories and were given a moose craft to take home.

After the hour-long event, children and families lined up to take pictures with the Moose and Mayor Priest.

Tuesday’s celebration was light-hearted and fun, but it was aimed at preventing a serious problem: summer reading loss. Research shows that children who don’t read over summer vacation can lose months of learning and start off the next school year behind their peers.

“Reading during the summer is crucial because it helps children develop strong literacy skills while also preparing them for the approaching school year,” said Cecilia McGowan, coordinator of children’s services with the King County Library System. “Local libraries are great resources over the summer months. Our librarians are eager to help families select age-appropriate books for children and promote literacy with fun activities and programs, such as Tuesday’s summer reading finale.”

The event was supported by the King County Library System and the Let’s Read campaign, a region-wide effort involving libraries, cities and other organizations to help keep kids reading during the summer. Let’s Read is also backed by the Road Map Project, which aims to double the number of students in South Seattle and South King County who are on track to graduate with a college degree or career credential by 2020, and to close the unacceptable achievement gaps for low-income children and children of color.

Additionally, Let’s Read is an important piece of a regional proposal to improve third-grade reading levels that recently earned an All-America City Award.

Posted in: Expanded Learning Opportunities

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