Mayor Rahm Emanuel joined Chicago Public Library (CPL) Commissioner Brian Bannon and over 500 Chicago preschoolers and kindergarteners at the Museum of Science and Industry to launch the 2015 Rahm’s Readers Summer Learning Challenge: Explore and Soar. This year, Chicago Public Library’s Rahm’s Readers program is teaming up with the Museum of Science and Industry, Adler Planetarium, Chicago Public Schools, Chicago Park District, Chicago City of Learning and the Big Shoulder Fund to challenge Chicago’s children to read 20 minutes a day and a total of 70 million minutes this summer. This year’s challenge encourages not only reading, but also exploring and investigating the solar system.

Chicago Public Library is taking the challenge to parents and caretakers to participate in the Library’s Take 20, Read Plenty campaign by pledging to read to Chicago’s youngest children for 20 minutes per day. The program also features a teen component, Rahm’s Readers Teen Summer Challenge: Defy Gravity, encouraging high-schoolers to deepen their understanding about the solar system and space travel. Teens can participate in activities at YOUmedia locations, share their discoveries and creations on social media with #cpldefygravity and earn prizes, as well as enter an eReader raffle. Information and materials about the Summer Learning Challenge: Explore and Soar, and Teen Summer Challenge: Defy Gravity can be found at all CPL branches and on the Library website at chipublib.org.