Chicago Public Library Breaks Records With Summer Reading Program
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The Chicago Public Library is breaking records this year with its citywide Summer Reading Program.
As WBBM Newsradio Political Editor Craig Dellimore reports, instead of playing or hanging out on the streets, it seems more children in Chicago were haunting the stacks of books at the city's public libraries.
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Library officials say this summer, more than 58,000 children read 1.4 million books in the eight-week Summer Reading Program. That figure is up 17 percent from last year's program, which is also considered a success.
So what was in it for the kids besides a more enriching summer?
Kids between the ages of 3 and 8 got a "Book Beats" logo T-shirt after reading their first 25 books. Older kids are reading bigger books to earn their T-shirts.
Many of the kids were learning and reading about music, and the library provided practical demonstrations courtesy of the Grant Park Music Festival and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
