The Selma Dallas County Public Library already has a great summer reading program. Over the past few weeks, we have covered several of the programs offered to the students and adults alike.

The library has had everything from a magic show to a petting zoo and everything in between to entertain kids and their parents.

Executive director Becky Nichols and her staff put hours and hours of time into planning and pulling off the different and diverse programs.

But the main focus, as always, has been on reading and making students think. This year a special focus was on ideas children had to improve the world.

What a great idea to get young readers to think about something bigger than themselves and a way to have a positive impact on their home and planet.

The library shared those ideas with the Times-Journal on Tuesday. The students’ ideas included picking up litter and cleaning up the city to helping feed and house the homeless among many more unique and specific ideas. 

The answers can be eye opening to see young readers, some younger than 5, thinking about these issues and how to fix them.

“I think in most things we don’t give our children credit for creative thinking. We give them art lessons and piano lessons and want them to play baseball and football and all that good stuff, but when you ask them what they think about something, you get amazing responses,” Nichols said about the feedback the library received.

Kudos to the library on a great summer reading program. If you haven’t been by the library lately, they offer many programs throughout the year so stop by this fall to see what is going on.