Earth Day is April 22. With spring just around the corner, the buds are out on the plants and growing things are at the forefront of our thoughts.

On April 18 and 19, we are holding a planting session in the library. Free to all, this event is 2-4 p.m. each day. Bring a plant pot if you would like to.

We are also thinking about how to “grow” our budding readers. What better way for a library to grow readers than to introduce a program just for them?

We will launch this program - Growing Readers - after Easter, April 17. The Wayne County Public Library has generously shared its Growing Readers program with the Public Library of Catasauqua.

If you have small children, you may have heard of the 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten program. The program asks caregivers and children to read 1,000 books together.

We decided to aim for 500 books to be read together with a caregiver. For each 10 books read, children will receive a special sticker. After reading 250 books, children will get a book to keep, and when they have read 500 books, they will receive a certificate and a special prize.

Reading to a child is the single most important thing adults can do to prepare children to read. Children who are introduced to reading early tend to begin to read earlier and to excel in school and throughout life. Plus, it builds many happy memories between the children and the adults who read to them.

It may sound like a lot to reach 500 books, but one bedtime book a day will help a child reach that goal very quickly. Families can jump into this program any time before kindergarten.

You may want to get started right away! Come and collect your reading record book from the library as soon as you like. We ask caregivers keep an accurate count of the books read with our Growing Readers, using the reading record book.

NEW BOOKS

Fiction: “Becoming My Sister,” V.C. Andrews; “Dream Town,” David Baldacci; “The Christie Affair,” Nina de Gramont; “A Relative Murder,” Jude Deveraux; “The Golden Couple,” Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen; “The Missing Piece,” John Lescroart; “The Summer Getaway,” Susan Mallery; “The Darkest Place,” Phillip Margolin; “Fear Thy Neighbor,” Fern Michaels; “Death of the Black Widow,” James Patterson and J.D. Barker; “22 Seconds,” James Patterson and Maxine Paetro; “The Investigator,” John Sandford; “High Stakes,” Danielle Steel; “Nine Lives,” Peter Swanson; “French Braid,” Anne Tyler

Nonfiction: “One Damn Thing After Another: Memoirs of an Attorney General,” William Barr; “Shadow-Man: An Elusive Psycho Killer and the Birth of FBI Profiling,” Ron Franscell; “Watergate: a New History,” Garrett M. Graff; “The Whole Body Reset: Your Weight-Loss Plan for a Flat Belly, Optimum Health and a Body You’ll Love at Midlife and Beyond,” Stephen Perrine with Heidi Skolnik; “The Founders: The Story of PayPal and the Entrepreneurs Who Shaped Silicon Valley,” Jimmy Soni; “Take Control of Your Diabetes Risk,” John Whyte, M.D., M.Ph.

Juvenile: “The Three Bears: Lily to the Rescue,” W. Bruce Cameron; “The Haven Trials (Minecraft),” Suyi Davies; “On Purpose (Cat Kid Comic Club No. 3),” Dav Pilkey; “The Flames of Hope (Wings of Fire, Book 15),” Tui Sutherland

Young adult: “Gallant,” V.E. Schwab; “I Must Betray You,” Ruta Sepetys

Children’s picture books: “What Will I Do With My Love Today?” Kristin Chenoweth; “Why Not You?” Ciara and Russell Wilson; “Pretty Perfect Kitty-Corn,” Shannon Hale and Leuyen Pham; “The Library Fish,” Alyssa Satin Capucilli; “Minions: Five-Minute Stories,” Illumination Entertainment; “Mouse Seasons,” Leo Lionni; “Smitten With Kittens,” Florence Minor; “National Geographic Little Kids First Big Book of Baby Animals,” Maya Myers; “Edward and Annie: A Penguin Adventure,” Caryn Rivadeneria

Children’s board books: “The Very Hungry Caterpillar’s First Spring (The World of Eric Carle),” Eric Carle