Press Release

For Immediate Release
Ruth Lednicer
Chicago Public Library
312-747-4907

MAYOR DALEY ANNOUNCES 2008 SUMMER READING PROGRAM
Chicago Public Library’s ‘Read Green, Live Green’ Program Celebrates the Beauty of Our Environment
June 7, 2008

Join the Chicago Public Library in a summer-long exploration of the environment through the 2008 Summer Reading Program, Read Green, Live Green.

This year’s program is presented in partnership with the Chicago Department of Environment and the Garfield Park Conservatory. Adults and children can participate in free programs and activities focusing on the complexity of our natural environment and learn how becoming an environmentally conscious citizen can help preserve our planet.

“Keeping our children safe is Chicago’s challenge and our shared responsibility,” Mayor Richard M. Daley said during a kickoff event for the Summer Reading Program held at the Humbolt Park Branch Library, 1605 N. Troy. “Every community and religious group, every business and every parent must also keep doing their part to provide safe havens and positive alternatives for our young people. Our Summer Reading Program most certainly meets this challenge.”

The Chicago Public Library offers two programs as part of Read Green, Live Green, one for children and one for adults. Family members can read books and participate in programs geared toward their own interests and reading levels then discuss them together.

“What pleases me most about this program is the fact that family members can read books and participate in programs geared toward their own interests and reading levels then discuss them together,” Mayor Daley said. “This is very important because these sorts of shared reading experiences are an excellent way to ensure that our children become lifelong readers.”

Children's Summer Reading Program
Focusing on the environmental theme, children’s programs include:

• A discussion with award-winning author Carol Lerner on how to attract butterflies and other pollinators to your own yard.
• Artist Lea Atiq shows children the importance of the plants around them and how to make a Secret Garden book.
• Story time with America’s greatest naturalist and wildlife artist, Brian “Fox” Ellis.
• An educational performance by Kidworks Touring Theatre Company about global warming which teaches kids can make a difference.

Children between the ages of 3 and 14 will have a chance to win books during weekly raffles and Summer Reading Program t-shirts are awarded to children who read and write book reports on a specific number of books during the eight week program. Picture book readers and emerging readers (those who are being read aloud to) who complete 25 books, and children reading chapter books who complete 10 books, receive a t-shirt with the program logo.

The Summer Reading Program has been encouraging the enjoyment of books and reading since 1977. Studies have shown that children who participate in summer reading programs achieve academic and vocabulary gains. During last year’s Summer Reading Program approximately 45,000 children read 1,017,978 books.

Summer Reads for Adults
Read Green, Live Green: Summer Reads for Adults, is the second annual summer reading program designed especially for adult readers. The program runs from June through August, and celebrates the beauty of our natural environment while also examining ongoing threats to it. Through the use of themes such as Plants & Parks, Water, Wildlife, Food & Farming, Energy & Design, Climate Change & Waste and Greener Tomorrows, the program offers a wide assortment of books, readings, tours, performances and events.

Summer Reads for Adults events presented throughout the city offer a fun and interesting way to enhance your reading experience and learn “green” living practices you can incorporate into everyday life. Participants are invited to attend the variety of programs including:

• Nature Panel Discussion with authors Joel Greenberg (Of Prairie, Woods and Water), Kenn Kauffman (Flights Against the Sunset) and moderator Owen Youngman from the Chicago Tribune;
• A discussion on climate change with The Right Honorable Kim Campbell, former Prime Minister of Canada;
• Chicago Line Cocktail Cruise with river expert and author David Solzman (The Chicago Rive: An Illustrated History and Guide to the River and Its Waterways);
• Weekend Bird Walks with the Chicago Ornithological Society.

As part of Read Green, Live Green, a series of book discussions for teens and adults will be offered through Chicago Matters: Growing Forward, to start people talking about our shared environmental resources and possible solutions for protecting our environment.

Both Read Green, Live Green programs are supported by the Chicago Public Library Foundation. Join the fun and make Read Green, Live Green, part of your summer activities. For more information about the Summer Reading Program, visit the Chicago Public Library’s web site at chicagopubliclibrary.org, or call the Library’s Press Office at (312) 747-4050.

Now celebrating its 135th year, the Chicago Public Library continues to encourage lifelong learning by welcoming all people and offering equal access to information, entertainment and knowledge through materials, programs and cutting-edge technology.

The Chicago Public Library is comprised of the Harold Washington Library Center, two regional libraries and 76 neighborhood branches. All locations provide free access to a rich collection of books, DVDs, audio books and music; the Internet and Wi-Fi; sophisticated research databases, many of which can be accessed from a home or office computer; newspapers and magazines; and continue to serve as cultural centers, presenting the highest quality author discussions, exhibits and programs for children, teens and adults.

The Harold Washington Library Center, Carter G. Woodson Regional Library and Conrad Sulzer Regional Library are open 7 days a week, the remaining 76 branch libraries are open 6 days a week and patrons can access all of the libraries’ collections online 24 hours a day. For more information, please visit the website at or call the Chicago Public Library Press Office at (312) 747-4050.