MIDDLETOWN -- A chance of rain on a recent afternoon could not keep Linda Oberholtzer and her granddaughters from visiting the Silver Lake Elementary Bookmobile at Silver Lake Park.
"They've been wanting to come all morning," Linda Oberholtzer said of granddaughters Ashley, 7, and Brianna, 4, whose mother reads to them every night.
In its sixth year, bookmobile program leaders are hoping more families will make reading an everyday activity.
Each child who comes receives two free books, a reusable tote bag, a freeze pop and a prize such as an eraser or bookmark. Donations throughout the year make plenty of baby books, children's books and chapter books for older children available, Klein said. This is the first year books for adults are offered.
"Everyone can't get to the library, but now we can bring the library to them," said Cindy Clay, assistant principal at Silver Lake.
The bookmobile will run three more times this summer: today, July 13 and July 30. It makes 20-minute stops between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. at Dale United Methodist Church and playground areas at Mill Branch, Middletown Village and Silver Lake Elementary School.
Jodie Klein, librarian at Silver Lake, has been running the program for the past four years. She said the program's popularity has increased each year.
Klein said the bookmobile serves between 300 and 400 children a summer. She is expecting this summer to be the busiest yet after the bookmobile served about 200 children on the first day.
"It's so powerful when the kids come running up to get books," Klein said.
Librarians and staff members from the Appoquinimink School District volunteer to run the bookmobile. Several cars hold books, volunteers and coolers filled with cold treats. At each stop, volunteers set out big tarps on the ground to cover with books.
Connor O'Neill, 13, said he likes the bookmobile because he can keep the books. He said he likes adventure books and picked up a copy of "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn."
Margaret Mahaley brought great-grandson William Drake, 7, to visit the bookmobile for the first time on Tuesday.
"We can get a couple books and encourage him to read more," Mahaley said, noting William is required to read at least an hour a week over the summer for school.
While William picked up a book on fire engines and a "Junie B., First Grader" book, Mahaley chose a
mystery novel for herself.
Encouraging reading in the family is why the bookmobile now carries books for adults, too, Silver Lake Principal
Sharon Pepukayi said.
"Parents like to read, thus children like to read," Pepukayi said. "It's a family event."
