"at your library" in the north island eagle: kids bogo at the library

Kids BOGO At the Library

September is Literacy Month in BC, and your library will be celebrating in a big way. During the month of September, we are offering "Kids BOGO". BOGO usually means "Buy One, Get [Another] One", but this BOGO is "Borrow One, Get One". When you borrow a children's book, your child will receive another book – to keep. Both books are free!

The Vancouver Island Regional Library, the Mt. Waddington Family Literacy Society, and The Book Nook, Port Hardy's bookstore, have teamed up to offer this special, month-long event. Kids BOGO will take place at your libraries in Port Alice, Port Hardy, Port McNeill, Sointula, and Woss.

We have a nice stack of shiny new books to give away, including some hot titles that kids always ask for. We want as many children as possible to receive books, so there is a limit of one free book per child. Supplies are limited, so come to your library branch as soon as you can to claim your child's free book.

The Library and the Literacy Society are very grateful for the generous support of PacificCARE Family Enrichment Society. PacificCARE has helped fund some wonderful projects, such as last year's "Let's Make Soup in a Jar!" and all the books we donated recently to the RCMP's toy drive. PacificCARE's generous support of the toy drive made it possible for us to put more books in children's hands through this exciting BOGO program.

September 6 is Read a Book Day. Read a Book Day encourages everyone to read a book, either to themselves or to someone else. According to a 2019 study, 27% of adults have not read a book in the last year. That number makes me happy, because it means 73% of adults have been reading! How many leisure activities can boast such a solid participation?

Why read? So many reasons!

Reading improves memory and concentration.

Reading reduces stress, by taking our minds away from our daily lives.

Reading helps strengthen our brains, and slows the cognitive decline that happens as we age.

Reading builds empathy. When we read, we enter the thoughts, hopes, and dreams of other people, who are often from very different backgrounds and circumstances.

Through reading, we travel through time and to distant countries and different worlds.

And thanks to your library, you can do all this for free. Visit your library on Read a Book Day – or any day – and well help you find your next great read. 

Give yourself the gift of finding time to read.