Summer Reading at New York Libraries

Reminder: Smokey Bear Reading Challenge

Make sure your library is celebrating Smokey Bear’s 80th birthday this year by encouraging participation in the Smokey Bear Reading Challenge as part of your Summer Reading program! This challenge engages youth in important topics like forestry and outdoor careers, wildfire prevention, and local environments which complement the summer reading theme of Adventure Begins at Your Library.

The Smokey Bear Reading Challenge site provides a variety of resources to engage youth with booklists, downloadable activities and more. Smokey Bear’s Digital Toolkit is a helpful resource that libraries can use to access promotional materials, activities, and incentives, just to name a few. Smokey’s Reading List is a great way to get participants of all ages involved while focusing on adventure and the outdoors.

Libraries using READsquared can also promote the Smokey Bear Reading Challenge and track participation with the challenge through their Summer Reading Portal. Public libraries in New York state can create a free account and customize their own READsquared site. For more information, see the READsquared page on the New York State Library’s Summer Reading website.