PORT BYRON - Whether it is fireflies or crickets or grasshoppers, summertime and catching bugs just seem to be two activities that go hand in hand with children.

At the Port Byron Library this idea has been turned into an entire week of activities designed to encourage children to read.

Cathy Applebee, children's director at the library said that the library has been participating in the New York State Summer Reading program for seven years.

“It is something that is open to all the libraries in the state if they choose,” Applebee said. “They always provide great material and support and it has always gone very well for us here so we keep bringing it back each year.”

Applebee said there are about 25 children taking part in the program, many who have been with it since they were in kindergarten.

“The kids really seem to love it,” Applebee said. “They come back year after year, some of them started with us when they were in kindergarten and they are in fifth grade now, it is really great to see them get interested in reading and taking part in something like this.”

Chad David and Scott Stone, both 9, have been a taking part in the program for the past several years.

“It is always fun,” David said. “It is really cool, there are a lot of people here and we have a lot of fun.”

And while the general theme “Catch the Summer Reading Bug” remains consistent, each year there is a different approach, making the program fun and appealing to many children, which encourages them to return.

“We did a lot of mysteries last year,” Braden York, 6, said. “We got to be detectives and go out on hunts, that was a lot of fun; it is different all the time.”

Starting Monday morning, the children involved in the program, have become junior entomologists, beginning with a bug hunt.

“The idea is catch the summer reading bug,” Applebee said. “So we are reading books about bugs and studying about bugs and we went out today and caught bugs. Butterflies, moths, ants, bees, grasshoppers, we caught and released them and the kids all really seemed to enjoy that.”

For some it was an exciting adventure, looking at the world at a bug's level.

“That was really cool,” said Kaleigh McLoughlin, 8. “I think that was the best part going out and catching the bugs that was a lot of fun.”

Throughout the week, along with books and activities focused on bugs, Applebee will also be bringing in several guests from the world of bugs to speak with the children.

“We're going to have Dave Odell who is retired from the New York State DEC,” Applebee said. “He'll be talking about bugs and we are going to have a beekeeper come in and show the kids everything about how honey is made and how it goes from the bees to honey and they are going to get to taste honey.”

To finish up the week, the children will be performing two short plays with bugs and other animals as the main characters.

But even with such diverse learning opportunities, many of the children are still focused on the program's main goal.

“I love to read,” Amanda Chattey, 8, said. “I love all kinds of books, so this is really cool.”