School will soon be out for area youngsters, but that doesn’t mean they should put away all their books, say the staff members of the Greenville-Butler County Public Library.

The &uot;Funtastic Reading&uot; Summer Program for children ages three through fourth grade will kick off this June 15 and 16 at the library.

The library’s objective is simple, says Children’s Librarian Jean Bauer: keep the kids reading while reminding them how much fun books can be.

&uot;We have all sort of incentives and lots of great prizes for time spent reading,&uot; Bauer says.

The program, which will feature a lively and colorful circus theme, runs each Wednesday and Thursday for six weeks this summer. Three to five year olds meet on Wednesdays from 10-11 a.m. On Thursdays, those who have completed kindergarten and first grade meet at 10:30 a.m. while youngsters who have finished second, third and fourth grades meet at 3:30 p.m. each Thursday.

A new clown puppet is currently garnering attention as he sits out front in the library just waiting for a child to give him the perfect name (entries can be placed in a bowl at the library with the winner receiving a special prize).

&uot;This is a wonderful new puppet we have that will be another very fun part of our summer reading program,&uot; the children’s librarian says.

Bauer says themes for each week will include such fun and fascinating subjects as clowns, circus performers, big cats and elephants. &uot;We will even have some real live clowns come to visit us one week,&uot; Bauer says.

A carnival/picnic is planned for the July finale of the program. Storytelling, music and creative crafts all tied to the circus theme will all be a part of this year’s summer reading program.

There will also be plenty of fun &uot;circus food&uot; snacks for the youngsters to enjoy, the children’s librarian says.

&uot;This is a fun, fun theme and we are all going to have a terrific time together. We hope lots of children come out and join us for a great summer at the library,&uot; Bauer says. For more information, contact the Greenville-Butler County Public Library at 382-3216.