Military children discover reading is "delicious"

Efram Ramirez

Summer is when most students fall into an educational lull, but summer reading and other academic programs are a great way to stave off this slump. This summer, 250 base libraries hosted the "Reading is So Delicious" themed reading program.

The program is sponsored by the Department of Defense with program content developed by iRead. Librarians created the resource guides to help motivate reading among military children.

"Last year we saw a 400 percent increase in participation across the program, and we plan to continue this trend with creative programs that connect with readers. This year's theme can tie in two great flavors -  reading for the fun of it and healthy eating. We want to create and support a bumper crop of voracious readers!" said Nilya Carrato, program assistant of the Navy General Library Program.

Over 100 years of education and literacy research demonstrates that skills and knowledge get lost when the brain is not engaged in similar activities. Summer reading programs offset the backslide by promoting literacy and reading for fun. Students that read recreationally outperform those who don't, something that may be particularly helpful for military children, who tend to switch schools frequently.