Reading summer in Sonneberg: Exciting adventures for young bookworms!

Reading summer in Sonneberg: Exciting adventures for young bookworms!

This week, the Sonneberg City Library gave the starting signal for the holiday reading project “Mein LeseSommer”, which aims to specifically encourage children and young people aged 8 to 16 to read. The focus is on borrowing and reading a book from the library, followed by a creative engagement with what has been read in the form of a reading brochure. The city administration reports that this brochure should, among other things, record information about the author, title, year of publication and the personal opinions of the readers. The deadline for submitting the reading brochure is August 23, 2025.

Participation in a raffle is particularly exciting, where participants can win attractive prizes, such as vouchers for the Sonneberger bookstore or a Tolino e-book reader as the main prize. The joy of this commitment to promoting reading is also shared by library director Nicole Obermeier, who hopes to attract new readers to the library through the project.

Reading joy for the little ones

Another highlight that the Sonneberg City Library recently organized was the big closing party of the leisure reading program “I am a reader”. Over 60 children and their families came to the celebration, which took place in Cloud 14. The event shows how important it is to get children excited about reading, which was also emphasized by library director Nicole Ullrich. In the past few weeks, 45 children, including an entire school class, have actively participated in the program. The number of participants was more than twice as high as the last time in 2019.

For this project, kids should read at least one of six books available. These exciting titles included “Help, I’m a Panda!” by Fee Krämer, which surprisingly was the most popular book with 46 loans. 76 new registrations in the library show that interest in reading is increasing significantly. To honor the joy of reading, all participants received a certificate and a voucher for the bookstore at the closing ceremony.

Promoting reading goes beyond the city library

Promoting reading is very important in Germany. A look at nationwide activities to promote reading shows that the initiatives are diverse. From reading evenings in preschools to extensive campaigns for school classes – there are numerous ways to introduce children to reading earlier and more intensively.

In addition to the programs in libraries, reading nights, reading festivals and fairy tale days invite you to immerse yourself in the world of books together. These offerings are an excellent opportunity to involve families and promote reading as a shared activity. The Reading Foundation also plays a central role in this, trying to increase interest in books and turning reading promotion into a cultural event with numerous programs and competitions.

The committed work of libraries and educational institutions is crucial in getting the little ones interested in literature. With its commitment, the Sonneberg City Library is setting a valuable example in this important industry and shows that reading has lost none of its appeal, even in today's digital world.