ROCKPORT — The Rockport Public Library Summer Reading Program will be taking place the entire month of July, with a special event each week. All of the programs are free to the public.

During the month of July there will be programs that celebrate good food, exercise and getting out in the fresh air.

Sign-ups for the Summer Reading Program, including permission slips for the Rockport Harbor cruise, will be available starting June 15, 2016. Bookmarks, stickers, summer reading tracker lists and prizes will be available to all participants.

• Tuesday, July 5, at 3:30 p.m.: Join a gathering at the Erickson Fields Preserve, on Route 90 between Route 1 and Cross Street. There will be a story walk, as well as an opportunity to harvest some fresh vegetables from their gardens.

• Tuesday, July 12, at 3:30 p.m.: Gather at Rockport Opera House to meet with author Liza Walsh as she reads from her new book, Fairy Houses All Year. Learn about the different items you can find to create the perfect fairy house while you run around outside this summer. There will be hands-on fairy house making activities afterward.

• Wednesday, July 20, at 3:30 p.m.: The Chewonki Foundation will be bringing its animal program to the Rockport Opera House. Join in the discussion of world-record-holding species and look at how their skeletons, muscles and overall fitness help them accomplish such impressive movements. By comparing our bones and muscles to these inspiring animals, we'll discover the importance of maintaining healthy bodies. Meet three live non-releasable animals, with some unique abilities of their own, and participate in some activities to see how we measure up.

• Tuesday, July 26, at 3:30 p.m.: The Summer Reading Program ends with a quick boat trip for children around Rockport Harbor in the harbor master's boat. Bringing your own life jacket is required to participate in this program.