Summer Reading Program 2021: June 21-August 13

For 2021, Dormont Library will be offering a mix of online and outdoors programming. Please be aware up front that out of an abundance of caution, our outdoor programs will still be held in a socially distanced setting, and mask wearing will be required to attend.

Reading Logs for All Ages

If you pre-registered for the challenge, you can begin logging books on Monday, June 21. If you aren’t registered yet, click the button below to get started!

Reading Challenges (Birth-12th Grade)

We’ll be using the Beanstack online reading tracker again this year. Read a book (or, for younger readers, have one read to you) appropriate to your reading level and use Beanstack to mark it as read. It takes just a few clicks or taps and you’re on your way to earning badges and prizes!

Every book counts, both fiction and non-fiction, including audiobooks, ebooks, and graphic novels..

Your first goal is to read 5 books, which will earn you a completion certificate and a prize. But you can earn more prizes by continuing to read! At 10 books, and every 10 books after that, you’ll earn another milestone prize. Readers who make it to 50 books will earn a special completion certificate and prize.

More badges and prizes are available by participating in Page Turner Adventures programs or the Library Scavenger Hunt, attending Storytime or craft sessions, and writing or drawing a book review.

Reading Challenges (Adults)

For adult readers, your first goal is to read 5 books, which will complete the program and earn you a reading milestone prize and a raffle ticket for a prize drawing at the end of the program in August. For each 5 books you read after that (to a maximum of 25 books), you’ll earn another milestone prize and another raffle ticket.

You can earn a bonus milestone prize and raffle ticket by writing a book review in Beanstack.

About Beanstack

You can use Beanstack through any web browser, or download the Beanstack Tracker app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. (Note: The Beanstack Tracker app offers in-app purchases, but these purchases are NOT necessary to participate in library sponsored programming. Participating in library-sponsored programming is FREE OF CHARGE.)

No Internet or mobile device access? No problem. Call 412-531-8754 anytime that we’re open, and we can create a Beanstack account or update reading logs for you.

You may see a Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh logo on the registration site and “carnegielibrary” in the website address; we are grateful to CLP for their assistance in setting up the Beanstack app for all county libraries to use.

Programs for Children and Families

• Week of June 28-July 2: Safari Stories – A week filled with adventure and fascinating facts.
• Week of July 12-July 16: Creepy Crawlies – This week is dedicated to critters that creep, crawl, and fly.
• Week of July 26-July 30: Fantastic Beasts – Mermaids, unicorns, alien slugs, and other creatures that might or might not exist will be this week’s focus.
• Week of August 9-August 13: Swamp Stories – Learn about animals that live in the swamp, from mud-dwelling dinosaurs to occupants of the Everglades.

A one-time registration will be necessary to access Page Turner Adventures videos and activities; call us at 412-531-8754 or email dormontprogramming@einetwork.net to register. Once posted, all videos will remain available for the duration of the Summer Reading Program.

Library Scavenger Hunt

Find the posters we’ve placed in local businesses, then snap a photo to show at the library or enter the poster’s code word into Beanstack to receive credit. There are eight posters for each hunt, but you only need to find five to earn a prize!

We’ll have four separate scavenger hunts lined up during the summer.

• June 21 – July 3
• July 5 – July 17
• July 19 – July 31
• August 2 – August 13

Toddler and Family Storytimes

Toddler Storytime will be held every other Thursday beginning June 24, and Family Storytime every other Saturday beginning June 26, both at 10:30 AM.
These storytime sessions will be held outdoors on the back patio, weather permitting, and will feature a “take and make” themed craft to go with the story.

Registration is required for all in-person activities; please call 412-531-8754 or email dormontprogramming@einetwork.net to register.

Toddler Storytimes (Thursdays, 10:30 AM)

• June 24: Spaghetti Slurping Sewer Serpent by Laura Ripes
• July 8: Chameleon’s Colors by Chisato Tashiro
• July 22: The Heart of a Whale by Anna Pignataro
• August 5: Peanut Butter and Jellyfish by Jarrett Krosozcka

Family Storytimes (Saturdays, 10:30 AM)

• June 26: Mermaid and Me by Soosh
• July 10: Cinderlily by David Ellwand
• July 24: A Bucket of Blessings by Kabir Sehgal
• August 7: Henry and the Kite Dragon by Bruce Edward Hall

Special Programs

We have two outdoor craft programs scheduled (weather permitting) for July for children in 3rd through 8th Grade.

Registration is required for all in-person activities; please call 412-531-8754 or email dormontprogramming@einetwork.net to register.

• July 17, 11:30 AM: Keychain Tail Craft Program. Create your own animal tail lanyard keychain. What kind of animal best expresses who you are?
• July 31, 11:30 AM: Animal Bean Mosaic: Show off your artistic talents by using painted beans to make a mosaic in an animal shape.

All-Ages Origami

Each month in June, July, and August, we will also have a “take and make” theme-based origami available for grades 3 to adult. Each “take and make” will have instructions included with the origami, as well as a video demonstration on our website to show you how to make it. These will debut the weeks of June 24, July 5, and August 5.

Special Prizes and Incentives

And More

Keep an eye on our website and social media accounts during June, July, and August, as we’ll be sharing additional programs provided by the Allegheny County Library Association in partnership with local arts and education institutions.