Tails and Tales Community Reading Goal 1 Million Minutes

This summer we challenged you to read one-million minutes during Tails and Tales, our animal-themed summer reading games. Even better, the Friends of the Library Foundation pledged to donate $1,000 to the Monroe County Humane Association if that goal was achieved! Not only did you smash the goal in early July, but you kept on reading for a total of 1,894,485 minutes!

In celebration of all the tales you read (and tails you read about), the Friends presented a check to the Monroe County Humane Association, supporting animals in our community! The Friends also provided generous summer reading game prizes, books, and events to readers.

We offered a combination of virtual and in-person events, which participants earned points for attending. Among the most popular were a virtual visit with Rikki, a golden retriever animal ambassador from the Monroe County Humane Association, a July storytime at Switchyard Park, and an outdoor showing of the movie “Babe” at Karst Farm Park.

By the end of the summer, 2,756 participants (1,014 children, 184 teens, and 360 adults) completed challenges, reviewed books, and logged their minutes read. Children and teens who completed their game earned a paperback prize book, and all readers earned tickets towards prize drawings!

Check out this album of happy prize winners!

Summer Reading 2021 Prize Winners

Prizes for adults included an Ankor Soundcore Motion+ Bluetooth Speaker or gift cards to The Common Room, Cup & Kettle Tea Co., or Jiffy Treet West–Ellettsville.

Teen participants had the chance to win a Nintendo Switch, a Wacom Drawing tablet, a 3-month subscription box, or gift cards for The Common Room and The Game Preserve.

Prizes for children included gift certificates to The Book Corner and themed bundles, like a science exploration bundle, which featured a robot, terrarium kit, telescope, astronomy book, and a LEGO Mars set. To encourage participation by beginner and newly-independent readers, all children who had just completed kindergarten and first grade were also given a beginner reader book! Do you have a pre-reader? Make sure to check out our 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten year-round reading challenge, a self-paced program that encourages you to read 1,000 books with your child before they start school!

Congratulations to our prize winners and thanks to all readers for joining us this summer! We’ll see you next year!