Perry County Public Library kicks off summer reading with dinosaur show

Perry County Public Library is asking children and teens to keep one simple habit going all summer: read 15 minutes a day for 10 days, turn in a reading log and pick up a prize. The children’s and young adult summer reading program runs through July 17 at the Tell City Branch on Tell Street, and every completed log also goes into end-of-summer prize drawings.

The season began with a packed kickoff Tuesday, May 26, from 2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at William Tell Elementary Gym, 1235 31st Street in Tell City. Families entered from the back parking lot and found Feller Express Dinosaur Encounters, which the library promoted as an interactive show with life-sized dinosaurs. For parents trying to line up something structured and local once school lets out, the program gives children a clear reading target and a reason to keep going after the first prize.

The library is building the summer around its 2026 theme, Unearth a Story, which matches the national Collaborative Summer Library Program theme. That message leans on discovery, with books, programs and local knowledge all framed as places where stories can be found and shared. In Perry County, that turns the library into more than a place to check out books. It becomes a steady destination for families trying to keep children engaged without paying for another camp, class or child-care option.

That role matters. The American Library Association’s Public Library Association says 99% of public libraries offer summer reading programs for kids, teens or adults, and widely cited research has linked summer break to reading loss among elementary students. A 2025 summary in American Libraries Magazine said students in grades 3 through 5 can lose 20% of their school-year reading gains over the summer, while experts often recommend 15 to 30 minutes of daily reading to help prevent learning loss.

Perry County Public Library is extending the same approach to adults, too, with a Summer Reading Bingo program running from May 26 through July 14. The calendar also points ahead to July 23, when the Tell City Branch is set to host Unearth the Magic with Dinky Gowen. Taken together, the schedule shows the library using summer reading as a countywide effort, one that keeps children reading, gives parents a free local anchor and turns the long break into a season of shared community programming.