Lemon Grove Librarian, “Mrs. Marilyn” sat in front of a group of toddlers, babies, parents, grandparents and caregivers and read a children’s book in perfect meter with such enthusiasm that the young minds fixed on her and the illustrations she held that they clapped their hands and squealed for more.
Lemon Grove Librarian, “Mrs. Marilyn” sat in front of a group of toddlers, babies, parents, grandparents and caregivers and read a children’s book in perfect meter with such enthusiasm that the young minds fixed on her and the illustrations she held that they clapped their hands and squealed for more.
That is the idea in the new Lemon Grove library, just eight months old after its grand opening in June. The library has computer rooms, community rooms, even a Teen Room where up to seventy teens gather daily after school to read, hang out and play video games, but the main attraction on weekday mornings is story time, when young, budding minds are delighted by learning. Marilyn Van Winkle is the infant and toddler story time teller and library technician.
During the toddler story time on Wednesday at 10:00 a.m., attuned ears listened to the dynamic reading of their favorite books, and waited eagerly for more. It was not only storybooks that brought them there, for toddlers who can walk, marching to “The Dinosaur Song” is a favorite.
They interacted with Mrs. Marilyn and other kids while re-creating “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” on a felt board. Youngsters simultaneously communicated with each other and expressed themselves creatively, but to them, it just felt like a good time in a fun setting. They smiled proudly and clapped for themselves after saying the alphabet and counting to 10 in English and Spanish, with help from their librarian leader.
When the fun ends, the children take crayons to coloring pages or head to the computers to play games with interactive software.
“They’re more tech savvy than we are,” said Mrs. Marilyn, who has led story time for so long that she has watched young story time friends grow into their teens.
Before the families left story time, she gave them a friendly reminder about books, reading, and the benefits of using every resource their local library had to offer.
“Remember to check out lots of books!” she exclaimed. “The more they read, the smarter they’ll be in school!”
For a list of Lemon Grove Library activities, visit www.sdcl.org.
