Hillsborough Libraries Will Attempt To Break Reading Record

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, FL -- Hundreds of children and young adults in Hillsborough County will read the same book on Thursday, Oct. 25, as part of a worldwide effort to promote literacy – and break a record.

This is the 13th year of the nonprofit group Jumpstart’s Read for the Record initiative. The current record was set in 2013 with 2,462,860 books read. This year, children will try to set a new mark by reading Maybe Something Beautiful by F. Isabelle Campoy and Theresa Howell.

Numerous events are scheduled at Hillsborough County public libraries that day. For those who can’t make it to the library, the Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative will livestream videos of librarians reading the book in English and Spanish.

The idea behind the campaign is to instill a love of reading in children from a very young age. Reading aloud to children is one of the best ways to start that habit.

Here are some of the Read for the Record activities scheduled at Hillsborough County libraries. Most are aimed at children ages 3 through 5.

10:45 a.m. at Seminole Heights Branch Library, 4711 Central Ave. in Tampa

• For ages 18 to 36 months and their caregivers: The reading will be followed by a fun craft activity.

10:15 a.m. at North Tampa Branch Library, 8916 N. Boulevard in Tampa

• For ages 3 to 5 and caregivers: Stay for more stories and activities.

10:15 a.m. at Ruskin Branch Library, 26 Dickman Drive S.E. in Ruskin
10:30 a.m. at Town ’N Country Regional Public Library, 7606 Paula Drive, Suite 120 in Tampa
3:30 p.m. at Temple Terrace Public Library, 202 Bullard Parkway in Temple Terrace

• For ages 12 and under and their caregivers: Participants are invited to stay after the reading to color a mural for the children's room.

3:30 p.m. at John F. Germany Public Library, 900 N. Ashley Drive in Tampa

• For ages 5 and up: The reading will be followed by a craft activity.

For all ages:

• 10:30 a.m. at SouthShore Regional Library, 15816 Beth Shields Way in Ruskin
• 11 a.m. at Lutz Branch Library, 101 W. Lutz-Lake Fern Road in Lutz
• 12 p.m. at Austin Davis Public Library, 17808 Wayne Road in Odessa
• 3 p.m. at Brandon Regional Library, 619 Vonderburg Drive in Brandon
• 3 p.m. at Seffner-Mango Branch Public Library, 410 N. Kingsway Road in Seffner.

Image via Hillsborough County Government

(For more local news from Florida, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts and newsletters from Patch. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app; download the free Patch Android app here.)