Neighborham Lincoln at your Neighborhood Library

When my little sister was a toddler, our Grandpa, whom we called PaPa, gave her a $5.00 bill and told her she could keep it if she could name the president on it. She proudly declared, "That's Neighborham Lincoln". She got to keep the bill, and our 16th President became fondly referred to as Neighborham for the rest of our childhoods.

This summer, your offspring can also cash in and learn about "Neighborham Lincoln" at your neighborhood library.

The annual summer reading program through The Chicago Public Libraries is excellent and includes children's entertainers, events and incentives. Kids 3-9 who read and log in 25 picture books and kids 9-14 who read 10 chapter books win a T-Shirt. Individual branches also run free raffles for books and goodies from local businesses. And many give goodie bags or little prizes along the way. Chicago History Museum is the partner this year. Go to your local branch to sign up.

Barnes and Noble also runs a good summer reading program. Click the link and download a reading journal and activities. When you've read 8 books, come to your local B & N and they'll let you pick out a free book. They have a wide selection of topics and reading levels from beginner to chapter books.

Borders and Waldenbooks Summer Reading Program for kids 12 and under, also requires reading 8 books for 50% off on select titles.

Finally, Half Price Books has a summer reading program, as well, but it requires weekly visits to the store, rather than an on line option. Still, if you live near a store, it's well worth it. Kids earn a $3 gift card every week that they read 15 minutes a day. That's more than a Neighborham Lincoln for two weeks of reading fun!

So, you can't say reading doesn't pay. And the lifelong pay off for having good reading skills and a love of books... is priceless.