Many different events were hosted all throughout the week to promote the importance of literacy for all children and families. Here are some of the exciting programs that were offered!
Author Visit & Book Signing
Syreeta Blakely, photographer of We Have Such in Common, visited story time to read the book. She was engaging and captured the children’s attention. Thanks to a mini-grant from the Association of Library Service to Children and the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, each child went home with a copy of the book We Have Such in Common that Syreeta signed. She posed for pictures with each child too!
Rachel Rodriguez Visited Babies and Books
Rachel performed a bilingual program with songs and a story! The children were enamored with her music and enjoyed singing and dancing along.
Mural Painting for School Age Children
Mayra Yu, a local Mexican artist, was invited to the after school program, and she coached the children through creating a mural for display during the Saturday Día celebration. The children created beautiful paintings after hearing the story Maybe Something Beautiful: How Art Transformed a Neighborhood by F. Isabel Campoy and Theresa Howell.
Day of Celebration
Children’s Day, Saturday, April 30th, was packed with great programs for the whole family.
The Puppet Truck presented Tomas and the Library Lady.
An International Bread Tasting was offered for free. Families were mesmerized by the bread selection and constantly asked where they go purchase similar breads.
Syreeta visited again to read her book during our StoryWalk. Each family that participated in the StoryWalk went home with a free copy of the book. Children enjoyed running from each story page and finding the corresponding part in their own books.
The Story Room was set up with STEAM stations. Children could taste different tropical fruits and decide if they were sour or sweet. They could create homes from around the world with LEGO® bricks. They played a Pete the Cat math game, made Mexican paper flowers, and used the iPads to explore other worlds.
It was a great success, and everyone enjoyed the day. The Southeast Branch Library looks forward to offering similar programs next year. Hope to see you there! In meantime, check out Book Fiesta by Pat Mora, the creator of Children's Day/El Día de los Niños.
