LISBON — The Lisbon Library has seen another successful reading program this summer. For children from kindergarten through grade five, it began June 15 and continued through July 27. A library open house will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 3, to celebrate those readers who have met their reading goals. They will pick up prizes at that time and there will be drawings, cake and punch.

Each year the library has a summer reading program with two very important goals. The first is to ensure that children return to school in the fall ready to learn. Research has proven that children who read during the summer perform better when they return to school in the fall than those who do not read during vacation. The second goal is to help children develop a life long relationship with their local library.

Approximately 75 children attended this year’s kickoff program on June 15, featuring the Cherwonki Foundations Water and Wildlife Presentation which featured slides, interactive sessions and live animals.

There were 150 children registered for the program. Each week participants came to the library and reported on books they had read during the past week and each attendee received a weekly prize. More than 50 of them will earn the paperback books given for attendance of five of the six weeks.

The total books read during the 2010 program will exceed the 1,460 books read in 2009. The count at week five was 1,546.

To encourage participants to meet their reading goals, library director Diane Nadeau and children’s librarian Jo-Jean Keller pledge to participate in an activity to publicize the success of the program. This year they will don pink hard hats and Public Works Department T-shirts and wash Public Works trucks outside the town office in Lisbon.

“Nothing like a hard afternoon’s work to draw attention to the success of our communities children,” said Keller.