Cooke Co. Library gets PenTex, bilingual grants
Aug. 31—The Cooke County Library recently received grants to buy books and other learning materials for school-aged kids.
The library was awarded a 2023 PenTex Energy Charitable Foundation Operation Roundup Grant. The grant will pay for physical, as well as eBook and eAudiobook copies, of the Texas Library Association's 2023-24 Texas Bluebonnet Award Master List and 2023 Lone Star Reading List.
"This grant allows there to be more access to the current lists and give more kids a chance to read more of the books," states Library Director Jennifer Johnson-Spence. "Having the books available on Libby will be a quicker and easier way for more kids to get to read them."
The Texas Bluebonnet Award list consists of 20 books chosen for their diversity, creativity, and quality in children's books. The books are geared toward children in grades 3-5. Schools and public libraries across the state encourage their students to "Read 5, then Decide" which is their favorite. Kids can vote on their favorite book starting in January and the most popular title is announced in the spring.
The Lone Star Reading list consists of 30 books chosen to encourage readers to explore a variety of current books. The books focus on children in grades 6-8. Unlike the TBA list there is no winner. This list is to give recommendations of current books for recreational reading. Local school districts encourage their students to read from these lists.
This PenTex Energy Operation Roundup Grant will allow the Cooke County Library to add 50 physical books, 48 eBooks, and 47 eAudiobooks to its digital collection. The Libby app is available to all Cooke County Library card holders. It can be accessed on a phone, tablet, or computer.
Bilingual reading grant
The Cooke County Library was recently awarded The Texas Book Festival Collection Enhancement Grant to acquire nonfiction titles about famous people, important events in science, technology and history.
The books will be chosen from the 2023 Texas Topaz Nonfiction Reading List, the 2023-24 Tejas Star List, and the 2023 2x2 Reading List.
"I am brainstorming some really fun lessons for our upcoming STEMed Up and Art in the Stacks classes that incorporate books from this list," said Kimberly Reiterm Library's Children's Class Coordinator.
The Texas Book Festival Collection Enhancement Grant will allow the Cooke County Library to enhance the children's collection by adding 40 nonfiction titles, 14 picture books, four Spanish picture books, a Spanish graphic novel and eight Spanish nonfiction titles.
The 2023-2024 Tejas Star List encourages children to explore multicultural books and to discover their cognitive and economic benefits. The 2023 2x2 Reading List is created to encourage children age 2 to grade 2 to develop a love of voluntary reading. The books are creative and inspire readers to use their imagination. Past 2x2 Reading Lists have been popular additions to the children's collection, according to Reiter. Spine stickers will be featured on these books for easy access.
For more information, visit cookecountylibrary.org or call 940-668-5530.
