BENTONVILLE, Ark. (KFSM) — Kids in one Bentonville school district are getting the opportunity to continue reading during the summer, and the library rolls right into their neighborhood.
Two librarian's dream of having a "book bus" has come true.
Creekside Middle School and Osage Creek Elementary have a shared library now called the Bridge Library. The Bridge bus travels to 10 different neighborhoods every Wednesday to give kids a chance to borrow books.
"You know as teachers we worry about what they call the summer slide," said Osage Creek Elementary Librarian Carol Halbmaier. "Students can lose up to three to four weeks of learning if they're not continuing to read. So this is our way to combat the summer slide that teachers are always worried about."
Kenzie Robinette says she comes to the bus stop every Wednesday for that exact reason.
"To get better at reading, and read more books normally, because I don't have many books at home, so these books I get to read with everyone," Robinette said.
As fun as it is for the kids, the adults enjoy it just as much
"I love seeing them in the summer," said Creekside Middle School Teacher/Librarian Kim Moss. "You always have those kids that you're just worried are playing Fortnite all summer. So I love getting to see their faces all summer long."
The Bridge Bus team hopes to expand their reach in the summers to come. Their goal is that other schools will get involved and the bus will be able to run every day of the week.
This is the first summer the schools have had the Bridge Bus, and they hope to continue to grow and reach more students.