A white-haired “mad scientist” stood at the front of the Park Elementary School’s corridor and told his audience that if they do their summer reading, one of them might end up with tickets to Disney World.

One Rhode Island school reader will win the grand prize for the Rhode Island Summer Reading Program, which is an all expenses paid trip for four, including airfare and hotel accommodations.

The third, fourth and fifth grade students laughed and participated for a half-hour yesterday morning with Ellen O’Brien, head of the Children’s Library, and Adult Programming Librarian Wil Gregersen, with a skit to promote summer reading. When O’Brien explained the weekly prizes for logging their reading every seven days, they all responded with an enthusiastic “Ah!”

The Warwick Public Library focuses much of their time encouraging summer reading for kids. The reading program is a statewide initiative to keep kids reading over the summer.

The library is part of the Collaborative Summer Library Program (CLSP), a nationwide program that supplies materials for their program, like bookmarks, reading logs, slogans, and clipart that all libraries can purchase and use.

O’Brien said they registered 1,482 children last year.

“We’re hoping for the same number this year,” she said.

Kids at the Park Elementary were urged to sign up for the summer reading program.

During the second act, the students seemed excited about joining the program and about the library’s Sci-Fi Saturday Kick-off Party on June 14 at 10 a.m.

As technology becomes more available to people of every age, O’Brien said she isn’t too worried about the effect it may have on books.

“We embrace digital reading with ebooks. Parents are still circulating books and picture books for their kids,” she said. “The printed books are still important to kids and parents. Tablets are just another gadget that’s part of what they use for entertainment.”

She said that there are often trends if kids are reading.

“As soon as they like something, there’s a book about it,” said O’Brien.

A recent trend revolves around a computer game called “Minecraft,” where players build structures, explore and gather resources. When kids come into the library, they run straight for the computers.

“Kids love games,” she said.

The library isn’t limiting the kids to a specific list. O’Brien said any book would count and that schools will be having their own reading lists nearing the end of the year.

Some other prizes include robotics books, reading certificates and a summer reading book bag awarded for guessing the amount of objects in a jar.

The program is supported by the Rhode Island Office of Library and Information Services, and with funds from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the Pawtucket Red Sox, Citizens Bank and Pepsi bottlers.

This year’s science theme, “Fizz Boom Read,” was part of the countrywide collaborative that the library participates in yearly. As of yesterday, O’Brien and Gregersen have visited five schools out of a dozen scheduled.