Cool! That's great! You're excited too, right? Really you need to be. Read on...

We allow students to have five books checked out at a time. We do this for a couple of very good reasons.

First, children learn to read better when they are in a print rich environment. We know that the more they are around books and print, the better readers they become. And becoming better readers is critical to their sucess in school and life.

Secondly, by allowing your child to get five books they can get a nice mix of hard and easy, fact and fiction, serious and silly. Look at your dinner plate. You try to have a variety of things to eat. It tastes better and is better for you. Now think of your child's library selections in the same way. If they can have a nice variety to choose from, they'll read more and read better.

Oh no, they might lose them. Yep, they might. But trust me, most lost books turn up. We don't make too big of a deal about overdue books for just that reason. It's just a book. The cost of a book is a small investment to make to further your child's education.

Kids with an overdue book can still get one book, so they're not locked out of the library. Yes it's a lot for them to keep up with, but that's part of their education too. And they'll get it, almost all of them figure it out pretty quick. We all know adults who lose everything they pick up, well, they were kids once, and they probably lost their books then. One or five, they'll lose it no matter the number.

So don't limit your child in the most important area of their education. The best thing you can do is ask with as much excitement as possible is "what did you get at the library today!"

Herb Wilburn