The U.S. Department of Education launched their annual summer campaign, Let’s Read, Let’s Move. The campaign encourages children to participate in summer reading programs and parents to read to their children more often.

Through summer reading, kids may discover a favorite author that sparks a lifelong love of reading. Summer reading can also prevent learning loss and help prepare a child for the next academic year.

Check out a few reading resources for kids:

• Classic Books Online — Explore time-honored tales, available from the Library of Congress.
• Locate a Public Library — Find reading programs and borrow—rather than buy—books.
• Strong Minds Project — Volunteer to help kids read during the summer.
• Reading and Writing, Grades K-5 and Language Arts, Grades 6-8 — Find a variety of resources on Kids.gov.

From the Government Printing Office:

In 2008, the FBI celebrated its 100 anniversary and, as part of that celebration, released, The FBI: A Centennial History, 1908-2008. This 130-page coffee table book features detailed accounts of more than 40 famous FBI cases; over 300 photographs, including many never before seen by the public; and abundant reference materials on fallen agents, FBI Directors, and more.

You can read or download a PDF of the book on the FBI’s site or you can order a printed copy for $30 from the Government Printing Office.

Read Across America Day, calls for every child in every community to celebrate reading on March 2, the birthday of beloved children’s author Dr. Seuss.

The research is clear: children who are read to, and who read for pleasure, are more successful in school. Reading is a wonderful way to spend fun time with any child, and learning to read gives a child the gift of lifetime learning.

So get in touch with your favorite children’s books of the past, and discover some new treasures with a child. You might want to follow Dr. Seuss’s advice: grab your moss-covered, three-handled family gredunza and read about the tweetle beetle bottle puddle paddle battle muddle. Read to a kid today.