24 Jul Boost Your Child’s Reading Scores, the Planet’s Health, and Your Savings (Yes, Really!)

Summertime as a parent is filled with the smell of sunscreen and sweaty children, the wiping off of sticky fingers (watermelon? lemonade? worms?), your (many) reminders to shut the door, and warning after warning about the loss that can occur in children’s reading skills over the summer break.

You can make sure your child’s reading skills stay sharp by ensuring that there are lots of interesting and age appropriate reading material in your home for your child to explore with and without you. Checking out materials from the library is always an option but (1) some days are simply too hot to strap a child in a car seat, (2) sometimes life is too hectic to track library books home and back to the library again before a fine is incurred, and (3) have I mentioned that it is hot?

Luckily Austin now has a very inexpensive and very green option for collecting reading materials for your child. It is Recycled Reads, the bookstore hosted by the Austin Public Library.

Located at 5335 Burnet Road, Recycled Reads sells books that have been donated or retired from the library collections at VERY low prices. Children’s books are 50 cents each. That’s right, $1 will buy you two children’s books! Other books range from $1 to $5, with most priced at $1 or $2.

Also impressive is the fact that the store has been set up as a zero waste operation – if a books doesn’t sell, it is sent to Books Beyond Borders, which either sends it to a school or library in the developing world or, if the book is unusable, turns it into building material. Impressive!

I am a firm believer in the need for a reading nook in every home, not far after a chicken in every pot. At these prices, you can stock (or restock) your own reading nook for just a few dollars while supporting a great local business. Since the profits of Recycled Reads help support the Austin Public Library, you’ll also be making sure the area libraries are full of great materials for kids. Which will be fun to explore when it finally cools off!

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