Mundelein book swap aims to encourage reading
Mundelein Elementary District 75 children made the trek to Kracklauer Park on Wednesday to participate in a different type of outdoor activity - a book swap.
The event is part of the Summer Reading Swap program the district has created in neighborhood parks in Mundelein to encourage children to continue reading while on break.
Teachers and librarians bring a variety of fiction and nonfiction books to the parks and organize them by reading levels. Children donate books they've finished reading and select new ones to take home.
Reading specialist Lisa Green of Mechanics Grove School in Mundelein said it's nice for children who don't have a lot of books in their home to be able to come to the event and find new reading material.
"We're trying to prevent the summer reading slide," Green said. "When they're gone over the summer their reading levels go down. We're just trying to maintain that level and keep them reading."
The books distributed through the program have been collected during the year from book drives at District 75 schools. Fremont Public Library in Mundelein also donates books for the program.
Upcoming book swap events are:
3 to 4 p.m. Friday, July 10, Kracklauer Park, 100 N. Seymour Ave.
2 to 3 p.m. Wednesday, July 15, Kracklauer Park, 100 N. Seymour Ave. and Eagle Park (Washington School), 122 S. Garfield Ave.
2 to 3 p.m. Wednesday, July 22, Kracklauer Park, 100 N. Seymour Ave. and Eagle Park (Washington School), 122 S. Garfield Ave.
2 to 3 p.m. Wednesday, July 29, Kracklauer Park, 100 N. Seymour Ave. and Eagle Park (Washington School), 122 S. Garfield Ave.