Utah's annual Reading Marathon begins with kickoff event to promote childhood literacy

SALT LAKE CITY — PBS Utah launched its 34th annual Reading Marathon with a kickoff event Saturday at the Salt Lake City Public Library.

The monthlong program challenges children to read, or be read to, for 600 minutes from Nov. 1 to Nov. 30.

"At PBS Utah, we love to partner with families," said Annie Frazier, education manager at PBS Utah. "We want to get parents excited, and grownups excited, to help their little ones and their kids get ready for school and to feel confident."

The initiative is part of Gov. Spencer Cox's Utah Reads campaign, which focuses on improving childhood literacy across the state.

In October, Cox and first lady Abby Cox launched the campaign by bringing nearly 500 students to the Capitol for the Utah Reads Read-a-thon. Hundreds of schools joined in, with students and teachers reading throughout the day.

At Saturday's event, Frazier said literacy development begins long before children learn to read independently.

"We think about literacy when we are learning how to read, but the foundation of literacy and reading starts right at birth," she said.

Families attending the event had the opportunity to meet popular PBS characters, including Daniel Tiger and Carl the Collector, and watch screenings of "Super Why's Comic Book Adventures."

Frazier also highlighted the role libraries play in supporting literacy and learning.

"The reason why libraries are so important is that when you get your library card, it can't buy you anything, but it will give you everything," she said. "It helps us really learn empathy, navigate life and have the tools to be successful in school and beyond."

More than 33,000 children participated in last year's Reading Marathon, logging a combined 26 million minutes of reading.

You can learn more about the Utah Reads campaign on UtahReads.org.

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