I may be in the minority when I say that I rarely need enticement to read to my son. More often than not, reading to one’s kids proves to be a challenging task for busy parents (or for those with children who’d rather play whiffle ball or watch paint dry than pick up a book on their own accord) during these endless summer hours. Jam-packed schedules leave little room for pleasure reading at the end of a whirlwind day for kids and parents alike – we get it. However, Half Price Books is encouraging kids to make reading part of their daily summer activities - even if it’s only for 15 minutes - with its Feed Your Brain summer reading program.
Parents can pick up a Feed Your Brain reading log at their nearest Half Price Books, or print one from HPB.com. According to Andries Mulder, Monroeville’s manager of the century, HPB has changed things a little for this year’s program. To help parents get a jump-start on building their children’s summer library, each store is offering a 10%-off coupon upon receipt of their reading log. This coupon is only good once, but can be used immediately or put towards a future purchase.
Now for the rules! Kids 14 and under are encouraged to read at least 15 minutes a day during the months of June and July. If the child reads (or are read to - Hop on Pop counts, Dad!) at least 600 minutes during the summer, they can bring in their completed reading log July 25 though Aug. 7 to receive a $5 Back-to-School Bucks reward.
In addition, Half Price Books will award one top reader per age group (5 and under, 6-10 and 11-14), per store with a TOP READER prize, a $20 gift card. Each store will announce its winner after August 7th.
NEAT STATISTIC TIME! In 2010, Pittsburgh children read more than 235,000 minutes for Feed Your Brain! That’s like watching approximately 7,833 episodes of Jersey Shore! I’d personally opt for Jane Austen over The Situation, fyi.
If books aren’t your bag, you can still head over to Half Price Books to find magazines and newspaper articles that fit your kid's interests. By providing reading materials related to a favorite subject, they'll learn more about that topic and get the added bonus of a bigger and better vocabulary.
If this promotion isn’t enough to encourage your butt to shop at the best store ever, the Monroeville location is hosting EXCLUSIVE EVENTS throughout June, July and August:
Every Thursday from 2-3pm in June, Monroeville will be hosting the “Half Pint Players”, a story time for kids aged preschool to second grade. This event expires in June, but will continue if the management sees a hearty interest (I made that up, but it might happen). Snacks and drinks will be provided and the program is free of charge. Stay tuned for the rest of the Monroeville’s events calendar to be posted in early July.
And remember to “like” Half Price Books on Facebook! I will thank you with a hearty handshake and some pocket change.
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