Clifford the Big Red Dog Helps Restore Childhood Reading in Taos

When the pandemic limited access to the Taos Public Library, young Taoseños lost important access to reading materials and librarians saw participation in reading drop off. To help overcome this dip, local librarians came up with the idea to make use of Taos’ summer Movies on the Green (a free movie shown at Kit Carson Park on Wednesdays) to launch a new reading initiative: They’d distribute 200 books at the event to encourage reading amongst children and use of the public library. LOR’s funding helped purchase 200 copies of Clifford the Big Red Dog and also paid for a Clifford costume used at the event to help get kids excited about reading.

Impact

The grant bought 32 community organizations together during the Movies on the Green to create opportunities for the 400 attendees and community groups to interact. The success of this pilot event also led to a plan for more future events like it. Clifford’s getting a lot of mileage!

In The News

Town of Taos Celebrates Movies on the Green Community Day with Clifford the Big Red Dog (Taos News)