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Libraries encourage parents, children to snuggle up with a book

Winter reading program in full swing this February

Throughout February, the Newport News Public Library System is encouraging parents and other adults to read to young children through the Snuggle Up with Peter Rabbit winter reading program.

Throughout February, the Newport News Public Library System is encouraging parents and other adults to read to young children through the Snuggle Up with Peter Rabbit winter reading program.

Designed to instill a love of reading in young children, the program offers logs, activity sheets, posters, and activities to help children develop reading skills. Winter reading materials also will be available in Spanish.  

Reading to children lays the framework for future literacy. A study published in the “Archives of Disease in Childhood” found young children who had been read aloud to were more likely to enjoy reading. Language and literacy skills were both improved by parents reading to children. The benefits also continued throughout the school years, the research found.

The Snuggle Up with Peter Rabbit winter reading program is sponsored by the Library of Virginia with support from Smart Beginnings and Read Aloud Virginia. This is the second year that the Library of Virginia is offering a winter reading program. For more than two decades, the state library has sponsored the hugely popular summer reading program in the state’s public libraries.

“Reaching out to parents about the importance of reading to young children is critical to ensuring that Virginia’s children have the early experiences with language that translates into success when a child enters school,” said Sandra G. Treadway, Librarian of Virginia. “The use of Beatrix Potter’s beloved ‘Peter Rabbit’ as this winter’s theme ensures that Snuggle Up with Peter Rabbit will engage both parents and children in reading and in the many programs and activities offered by the state’s public libraries.”

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