SANDPOINT — After practicing reading together on a rainy day in Sandpoint, local seventh graders and kindergartners kicked off a party complete with snacks and homemade hats in a (fortunately sound resistant) room at East Bonner County Library on Monday. 

The gathering was part of a series of local events recognizing Read Across America Week, a national initiative that promotes literacy and celebrates books and authors. 

“It’s a really fun tradition,” Farmin Stidwell Elementary teacher Kyla French said of the reading buddy exercise. “They (the kindergartners) look up to the big kids a lot; to see them smiling and interacting is fun.” 

Each day of this week, local teachers will coordinate events that brighten schools and cleverly encourage students to read. For “Tie Together for Reading Day,” students wear ties and exchange books with one another. For “Read my Shirt Day,” students wear clothing featuring text and practice deciphering the messages on each other’s garments.

Monday’s library event was designed to get students in the door and allow them to be comfortable in the library, Kelli Burt, library youth services coordinator, said. 

“It’s to let them know that learning goes on like outside of their four walls at school,” she explained. 

Inviting seventh graders, in addition to kindergartners, helps the library keep teenagers in the building whose interest in reading may be waning. To continue to facilitate learning for older students, library staff put on events like a presentation from a North Idaho College coordinator about post-secondary education and careers, and “Tea, Toast and Tolkien” — a teen-oriented gathering centered on “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit.” 

“There are a lot of offerings the library has for older kids too,” Burt said. “The library is not just books. We do all sorts of programming for them that fulfills many different interests.” 

As the snow melts and North Idaho residents brace for the shoulder season, the good books and unique activities students encounter during Read Across America Week help bridge the gap to spring blossoms and eventually summer sunshine — all while fostering an enriching habit and critical skill. 

“March can be a long, drawn-out month,” French said. “This just gives them something positive to look forward to.”