Kentuckians urged to promote summer reading by school-age children

From the Office of First Lady Jane Beshear

Summer vacation is the perfect time of year to encourage children to read for fun! After all, studies show that summer break is when children are at the greatest risk of losing the reading skills they learned during the school year.

Now, you can make sure that your child has great books to read while away from the classroom. With the free “Find a Book, Kentucky” search tool here Find a Book, Kentucky, you can help your child build a custom reading list that will help them continue learning and learn to love reading.

“Find a Book, Kentucky” uses your child’s Lexile® measure to recommend books at the right level of challenge for his or her reading ability and interests. A Lexile measure is the most widely adopted reading metric in use today, and is a great starting point when choosing appropriate books for your child. Within “Find a Book, Kentucky,” you can continually add books to your child’s reading list and even check the availability of your selections at your local public library.

When you visit “Find a Book, Kentucky,” if you are unaware of your child’s Lexile measure, the tool will still assist you in finding appropriate books. In fact, this tool is so valuable that I use it to help determine which books I will choose for my seasonal reading lists.

I encourage you to talk with your child about the importance of summer reading and to take him or her to your local public library. Many librarians and library directors will have information about using Lexile measures and “Find a Book, Kentucky,” as well as other programs to encourage your child to read for fun.

I’m confident you will find that summer reading is a rewarding experience through which you can make a difference for your child and others in your community. Thank you for joining us in our efforts to help all children “Find a Book,” and grow their reading skills this summer.