Dream Big, Read at the Captiva library

The Captiva Memorial Library, along with public libraries across the county, has been dreaming big this summer with the reading program, “Dream Big, Read!”
The Captiva library started Dream Big on June 14 with a Storybook of Dreams by 9th Period Shows and continued throughout the month with The Loose Caboose Adventure and Dreams and Wishes.
“(So far) we have had a mix of islanders and visitors attend the programs,” said library associate Naomi Pastor, who has organized the summer reading reading programs for the past 12 years.
Creatures of the Night by “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge will be the next program at 3 p.m. July 19 when children 6 years or older will learn about nocturnal Florida nature. Bats, owls, insects and other organisms that come alive at night will be highlighted. The final summer program will be Dream Boxes from 3 to 4 p.m. July 26, during which children can explore and express their love of life by decorating boxes. Tickets are required to attend each event, but are free of charge and available at the library, 11560 Chapin Lane.
Teens who have read it and watched it can win it during an end of summer party and auction from 3 to 6 p.m. July 28 at the library. Those who have earned “Teen Bucks” (three bucks per book) can attend the party and bid on prizes that include gift cards to Barnes & Noble bookstore, T.J. Maxx and Regal Entertainment for a movie.
“The (Captiva) library board sponsors the incentives,” said Pastor, who also donated a few prizes. “There is also a special prize for teens from Lee County.”
The theme, “Dream Big, Read!,” is part of the Collaborative Summer Library Program a grassroots consortium of states working together to provide high-quality summer reading program materials for public libraries.
This year’s graphics for the summer program were done by children’s book author and illustrator Brian Lies, who started his career as an editorial and political illustrator. In 1989, he illustrated his first book, “Flatfoot Fox and the Case of the Missing Eye.” Since then Lie, who resides in Boston, has illustrated more than 25 books and has four other written-and-illustrated books.
“I read a lot, which I think is important,” he stated on his website. “It keeps my imagination going and leaves me feeling much more relaxed than television does!”
For more information on Captiva Memorial Library’s summer events, visit www.lee-county.com/library or call 533-4890 between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday; noon to 8 p.m. Wednesdays; or 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. The library is closed Sundays and Mondays.