GREEN RIVER– The Sweetwater County Library celebrated the right to read on Monday, September 25, with a banned children’s book reading, activities, and S’mores.

In honor of Banned Books Week, a national celebration of the right to read, the library hosted a reading of several children’s books that have been banned or challenged throughout the country over the years.

Becky Iwen, Manager of Youth Services, read the books to the kids while she sat next to a fake, blow-up fire. A slideshow of every page of the books was projected onto a large screen so the kids and parents could follow along with Iwen as she read and look at the pictures.

After the book reading, the kids could choose from a variety of activities including, getting their hands dirty with cooked spaghetti, playing dress up, and writing biographies of their family members. When the kids were ready for a snack, they could grab a S’more or two.

The Sweetwater County Library has been celebrating Banned Books Week for the entire month of September. The library hopes to encourage the community to exercise their First Amendment right to read whatever they want.

The library has also wrapped books that have been banned or challenged elsewhere in the country in brown paper bags, making them unidentifiable. These mystery books can be checked out until the end of September.