Day: August 25, 2025

This week, Brooklyn kids can cool off with more than just a swim. The Brooklyn Public Library, in partnership with the National Book Foundation’s Book Rich Environments program, will hand out free books and Icees at community pools across the borough. 

The initiative, named “Dipping Into Reading,” kicks off Aug. 26 at Betsy Head Pool, followed by Douglass and DeGraw Pool on Aug. 27 and Commodore Barry Pool on Aug. 28. Giveaways will run from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m., or while supplies last, weather permitting. 

Each child will be able to select a free book to take home, with options in both English and Spanish and a focus on schools and pools. Titles include National Book Award-honored works such as “The Poet X” by Elizabeth Acevedo, “Swim Team” by Johnnie Christmas and “Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks” by Jason Reynolds. 

Organizers say the program is about more than summer fun — it’s about ensuring access to books at home and eradicating “book deserts” to foster “communities where children and families have access to an abundance of culturally diverse books.” 

Kids who have books in their homes and are read to by their caregivers are more likely to succeed in school, they said, but children in low-income households are less likely to have age-appropriate books or adults who can support early literacy through reading or singing. 

“From Book Rich Environments to our Summer Reading Adventure, we think summer is the perfect time to take home a good book and that everyone should have the opportunity to do so,” Ruth Dickey, executive director of the National Book Foundation, said. in a statement. “We’re tremendously grateful to our partners at the Brooklyn Public Library and New York City Housing Authority, who constantly find ways to connect books with as many New Yorkers as possible.”

Since its launch in 2017, the Book Rich Environments program has distributed over 2.6 million free books nationwide, with a focus on areas with limited access to libraries and bookstores. 

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