Besides being a pleasurable activity on a chilly day, your winter reading can earn rewards for you when you enter the Rock Island Public Library Winter Reading Challenge.
The Rock Island Public Library reading incentive program for children, teens, and adults offers rewards for reading completed from Monday, January 6 to Saturday, February 8, 2020. Reading tracked in any format, including print, electronic, and audio, count toward the goals for each age range. The age-based challenge goals are as follows:
- Children, birth to 6th grades: Read or be read to 15 minutes a day for 5 days each week. For every 75 minutes, earn your Winter Reading Badge. Complete 375 minutes to earn a free book.
- Teens, Ages 12 to 18: Earn a button for every 75 minutes of reading. Choose a free book when you complete 375 minutes of reading over the five-week challenge.
- Adults: Complete 6 books over the five-week challenge. Drop a ticket into the drawing box each time you finish a book to enter weekly $25 gift-card drawings from QC Pancake House, Handy True Value, Cool Beanz Coffee, and Backyard Bowl. Completing the six-book challenge earns participants a chance at a grand-prize drawing for two tickets to Circa ’21 Dinner Playhouse.
As an extra reward, those who check out in person at a Rock Island Public Library earn points from the “My Library Rewards” website. Registered participants earn and accumulate points year-round for items checked out in person, with rewards redeemable for special offers and discounts from participating merchants. To register and view available rewards, go to the My Library Rewards website.
Winter Reading Challenge participants may enter and track reading
online at the library’s Beanstack website or through paper forms at Rock Island Public Libraries. Beanstack is a web and mobile application that allows readers to electronically track self-directed reading time.
And as part of its participation in the 3rd Annual Beanstack Reading Challenge, Rock Island Library has set a collective community goal for youth of 5,000 minutes of reading, and 200 books for adults in January. The challenge is sponsored by Penguin Random House U.S. children’s publishing divisions, and as one of 1,500 participating public and school libraries, Rock Island hopes to do its part to help surpass last year’s nationwide achievement of 13.5 million minutes of reading and 150,000 books.
Top-performing libraries and schools will earn “Golden Penguin” and “Golden House” awards. PRH pledges to donate $50,000 in prizes, including author visits and new books, to be shared among winners. To help the library earn extra points, readers may share their winter reading progress on social media with the hashtags #WinterRead2020 challenge and #RockIslandPublicLibrary.
Readers can add to their totals at the “Penguin Parade” Winter Reading event at the Quad City Botanical Center on Saturday, January 18. Offered from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm in the warmth of the Botanical Center, the event offers free admission, reading fun, and special activities, including:
- Hunting for penguins in the garden
- Rock painting and penguin crafts,
- Trying the Penguin Parade obstacle course challenge,
- Playing in the sandpile, and
- Family Reading time.
Children earn the “Golden Penguin” sticker for attending, and there’s a free giveaway for all while supplies last. Adults may also meet census recruiting representatives, and learn about census jobs available for $22 per hour. The no-charge event is presented in partnership with the Quad City Botanical Center at 2525 4th Avenue, Rock Island.
For more information about Rock Island Public Library events and services, visit the Rock Island Public Library website or call 309-732-READ. Rock Island Library events are also listed on Facebook and at Burbio website and mobile application.