New York State just announced a new literacy screening program for students, which means now's the time for your kids to start putting a dent in their summer reading lists. Other tidbits in this edition of our biweekly links post include info on new adult playgrounds, the last days of a beloved bookstore, an opinion piece about why American kids are so spoiled, and trouble at the brand-new McCarren Park Pool and on the Coney Island boardwalk.

A few years ago, we made it to the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival for a hilarious production of The Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged), a show that condensed all of the Bard's major plays into a 90-minute farce that even had my six-year-old quoting Shakespeare for a week. In a similar vein, Potted Potter, now playing at the Little Shubert Theatre on 42nd Street, compresses the entire Harry Potter saga into a 70-minute romp that's fun for fans young and old.

Grab your Quackers, folks, because it's time to root, root, root for our very own home team--the Long Island Ducks. On my mom's side, my family's got a long line of Yankee fan-atics, while my dad grew up in Brooklyn when the borough was having its love affair with the Dodgers. Needless to say, I grew up with a love of baseball. I have every intention of sharing the passion for the sport with my kids, but with Yankee Stadium's pricing out of the ballpark, it can be difficult to take a whole family out to the ballgame. The Ducks, on the other hand have family-friendly pricing and so much activity going on throughout the game that you and the kids may not even care if you ever get back.

(Photo courtesy of Hamptons Greek Festival)

If you're looking to fill your summer weekends with some good old-fashioned family fun (and your belly with some tasty food!) then have a look at some of the fun, family-friendly festivals being held on Long Island this summer. Thrill-seekers can soar through the sky on carnival rides offered at most festivals, animal lovers can bond with animals at the petting zoos and with a pony on a pony ride, music lovers can dance and sing along to music from all over the world and foodies of all ages can enjoy all the delicious food offered at nearly all of these festivals.

(Photo: The Cole Brothers Circus)

The circus is coming to town! The 128th Cole Brothers Circus of the Stars will be traveling across Long Island this July, pitching its big-top tent in fields and malls; amazing audiences with its colorful, classic acts. There will be acrobats, daredevils, elephants, tigers, and of course clowns. It's a classic three-ring traveling circus that began life in 1884 as W.W. Cole’s New Colossal Shows. It is exciting, inexpensive, and very intimate. Every summer since I was a child the circus has come to my town in Greenport. This summer will be no exception.

[UPDATED: December 1, 2012]

As a busy mom, I do a lot of my shopping online. But when it comes to tricky things like making sure there’s that ideal half-inch of space between the tip of my son’s wiggling toes and the front of his shoes, I skip the websites and seek out the services of patient pros and their Brannock Devices (now you know what those foot measuring thingies are called).

Happily for Brooklyn families like mine, there are many wonderful stores in our borough that carry a wide selection of shoes for children, with staff that know how to coax squirming tots into trying them on. While you might be able to pick up a cheaper pair of sneakers, boots or sandals at a big chain store, you won't get the benefit of expert assistance and advice about which shoes truly fit. Here are some of our favorite children's shoe stores in Brooklyn, including two that just opened this year.

It's a few weeks into summer and so far we've lost the sunscreen, wept about a snorkel, inspected bug bites visible only to the child's eye, and made a mean succotash. Basically, same as most summers. (Last year it was a mean cole slaw and weeping about a lost flip flop. We like to keep it interesting.) We're also cooking as usual. There's much to love about summer food, so I've rounded up my favorites, some for you, and some for the little people sitting in front of the TV in their swimsuits.