SKILLS SOAR: Summer is approaching and the...

SKILLS SOAR: Summer is approaching and the Orange County Public Library is gearing up for its annual summer reading program. Children are encouraged to keep their noses in the books with prizes and other incentives. . . . Last year, more than 21,000 children participated, up from 19,000 in 1991. And it works. Says Gayle Kaufman, children’s librarian at the Tustin branch: “I’ve had parents come back to me at the start of the school year amazed that their kids tested higher in their reading skills than they had when they left school before summer started.”