The annual summer reading club at Hawkes Children’s Library wrapped up Thursday with awards, prizes and ice cream eaten with little wooden spoons, just like the ones program director Nanci Hendrix ate with when she was just a reader in the program years ago.

The more than 50 West Point children all met their individual reading goals in the five-week program.

“Everyone sets their own goal,” so there’s no arbitrary number of books children are required to read, Hendrix said.

“You pick a number you feel you can read,” she said.

If the reader reads novels, the total number read during the summer may be small. For those who chose short storybooks, the numbers may be larger.

Awards also were given for perfect attendance in the program.

The program theme this summer was “Reading with the River Critters,” and included presentations on animals that can be found in and along the Chattahoochee River. The library is on the river bank in downtown West Point.

The programs included Pam Avery, author of “The Adventures of Sam the Crow - Sam’s Search;” Stan Arington, known as the “fish man” from Auburn, Ala.; Melisa Santimo and the birds of prey program from Callaway Gardens; Ranger Derrick Wilkerson from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at West Point Lake with animals found along the river; and Jennifer Lolley, from the Forest Ecology Preserve of Auburn University with turtles and snakes.

The close of the session doesn’t mean programs for children at the library are over. Junior Friends of the Library kicks off Aug. 10 for children 6 and older. Participants are required to read a book a month and activities include scavenger hunts and other programs.

Story hour for younger children kicks off Aug. 12 at the library.

— To learn more about the summer reading club and other programs at Hawkes Library, call (706) 645-1549.

Jennifer Shrader can be reached at jshrader@lagrangenews.com or (706) 884-7311, Ext. 236.