AUBURN – Students at the Park Avenue Elementary School discovered a fun way to beat the winter blues through the school’s reading incentive program. This year’s theme, “Riding the Reading Wave,” helped bring a little sunshine to the middle of winter.

Beginning Jan. 26, students were allowed to choose from an array of books purchased by the PTO. Every student was given a reading log to fill out with their new book.

For the next three Fridays, students presented their reading logs to show they had completed their reading goals, and they were given another chance to choose a new book that week.

Each child had the opportunity to receive a total of four new books during the program. And this year many students caught the reading wave as more than 1,000 books were given away.