Reach Out and Read-Alabama clinicians write a prescription for summer reading

Across 16 summers, Reach Out and Read-Alabama's summer reading campaign has featured a variety of beloved characters and stories, including a hungry caterpillar, dancing barnyard animals, a big red dog in a storm, a bunny visiting the doctor, a superhero kid, a sleepy tiger, a cat in sunglasses, a cookie-eating mouse, a curious monkey, and some playful kids.

Reach Out and Read-Alabama hosts an annual summer campaign to encourage families to read together with a chosen book as inspiration. Copies of the book are distributed by pediatric healthcare providers statewide throughout the summer months.

Across 16 summers, the Rx for Summer Reading has featured a variety of beloved characters and stories, including a hungry caterpillar, dancing barnyard animals, a big red dog in a storm, a bunny visiting the doctor, a superhero kid, a sleepy tiger, a cat in sunglasses, a cookie-eating mouse, a curious monkey, and some playful kids. Each book is chosen on the basis of “finding the right book at the right time” with a focus on what is happening in the world around us and helping families forge closer bonds while building the empathy and resilience that children will rely on throughout their lives.

The Rx for Summer Reading campaign was launched 16 years ago as part of the national Reach Out and Read initiative, Summer of a Million Books. Our inaugural campaign highlighted the beloved book The Very Hungry Caterpillar. In that first year, 32 program sites hosted engaging events and distributed over 3,000 books to families throughout the state. The event was a tremendous success for the families we serve, and our program sites have continued this cherished campaign every summer since.