PHOTO: Storytime at the Port Jefferson Library

The summer reading program at the is in full swing now. The theme this year is "Dream Big" and the staff at the library have created an appropriately decorated check-in desk for kids to update their progress: a giant bed, the place where for generations parents have sent their kids off to dreamland with a story.

According to children's librarian Margaret Smith, the goal of the Summer Reading Program is to encourage children to read throughout the summer.

"Both to prevent skill loss during the time off from school and to foster a lifelong love of reading," she about the program this Spring. "This program is designed to make reading fun, so that children will want to participate and read more. In addition, children who read during the summer are better prepared to meet the challenges of a new school year in the fall."

To further entice area kids to join the program the library has been hosting nighttime-themed crafts, storytimes, movies, book discussions and music all summer.

Patch snapped a photo of library pages, Morgan Cordes, 16, and Joseph Iasso, 15, in the cozy looking corner of the childrens section. Cordes is an 11th grader from Miller Place and Iasso is a Port Jefferson resident in 10th grade. The pages check the book lists for the kids who come into the library and give prizes for completed sheets.

Has your kid participated in the Summer Reading Program? Does it help keep kids tuned for the coming school year?