With the summer moving along quickly, the Jake Epp Library’s Summer Reading Program is already halfway done.

Madison Redekopp, the Program’s Coordinator says the 653 kids involved have had a fantastic summer so far filled with all kinds of fun books and crafts.

“Our aim is always for over 600,” claims Redekopp, “but when we actually hit that number we have a big celebration in the library. Its just crazy it's the chaos that I love.”

One of the “crazy” activities Redekopp mentions she looks forward to in the coming months is making candy sushi with the kids. In this child-friendly version of the Japanese cuisine, raw salmon is replaced with Swedish fish gummies and seaweed is replaced with fruit roll-ups.

Another huge positive of the Summer Reading Program, notes Redekopp, is that it enables parents to come alongside their kid's learning process. “We want parents to be involved in their child’s literacy. It starts at home, I want to encourage parents that their literacy matters to their kid. These kids are our future!”

Redekopp also suggests that this program does incredible things for the kid’s independent thinking and knowledge retention, adding that kids who read over summer typically have an easier time reentering school come fall.

Ultimately, Redekopp indicates, the summer has gone very well and she looks forward to all the fun they will continue to have in August.