By MOLLY DAVIDSON / Staff Writer

NORTH SHELBY—The North Shelby Library is celebrating its Smart Cookie Club readers with a party on Feb. 13 at 4 p.m.

Similar to the library’s summer reading program, the Smart Cookie Club encourages children to read throughout the winter. The club was started this past December when Assistant Children’s Librarian Morgan Higgins noticed fewer children reading during the school year.

“During the winter, we don’t have as much participation with kids coming out and checking out books,” Children’s Librarian Cecelia Dean said.

Any child can sign up to be a Smart Cookie in the North Shelby Library’s club. Smart Cookies receive a sticker for each book they check out, which they can then place on the library’s cookie jar poster.

“We’re trying to encourage kids to read through the school year, not just in the summer,” Dean said.

The Feb. 13 party will celebrate the Smart Cookie Club members’ reading accomplishments over the past few months with games, crafts and cookie decorating, Dean said.

Both Smart Cookies and those interested in the club are invited to join in the Feb. 13 festivities. To register for the event, send an email to Northshelbyyouth@gmail.com, call 439-4404 or stop by the North Shelby Library, located at 5521 Cahaba Valley Road.