Libraries crank up the volume for children’s storytimes

VENTURE INTO YOUR LOCAL library during storytime for kids and you might be surprised by the noise, noise, noise, noise (to paraphrase the Grinch), the squeals of dozens of children bursting into song and laughter, an organized chaos of dancing and movement — all perfectly acceptable and often-encouraged behavior.

Today’s version of storytime for kids is anything but reserved for those hushed library or inside voices. They’re loud, boisterous and rumbunctious, learning disguised as fun — “a big dance party,” says Amy-Jane McWilliams, youth services coordinator for the Lee County Library System. “Our storytimes are supercharged. There’s rhyming, singing, dancing and playing to get children ready to be readers and writers.”

Ashley Guerzo, youth librarian for the Englewood and Port Charlotte branches of Charlotte County Libraries, brings storytime for kids 6 and under to local parks. “Stories in the Shade” started as a COVID precaution in 2021 with 12 children at the first outdoor session, has become so popular, it now attracts upward of 24 each week.

Storytime for kids 6 and under is available the Englewood and Port Charlotte branches of Charlotte County Libraries. COURTESY PHOTO

“We did a lot of virtual programs, but we missed the interaction with kids,” says Ms. Guerzo. “I really wanted to bring storytime to the kids in a personal way. The idea just sort of dawned on me. It’s a great way to get kids out in the sun and active.”

“Stories in the Shade,” for newborns to 6-year-olds, is offered at McGuire Park in Port Charlotte and the playground at Tringali Park in Englewood. The library supplies foldout seating for parents and caregivers. Most families often pack a post-storytime picnic lunch.

The county’s Punta Gorda and Mid-County Regional branches also offer weekly family storytimes albeit inside. Seven of Collier County Public Library’s 10 locations host weekly sessions, attracting as many as 30 children.

“Since reopening last fall, our storytimes have grown so much, we have to add more,” says Chloe Snider, a senior librarian in Collier.

Palm Beach County Vader Story Time.

No two storytimes look alike.

The Lee County library team develops month-long themes built around new book arrivals, seasons, holidays and nature for its 12 branches offering storytime (Captiva doesn’t). Branches in Collier County come up with their own themes, including an Easter-time takeover by chicks, children and baby bunnies, plus mini-moo petting zoos, pajama parties and magicians throughout the year.

“Our staff is so creative with storytime. A lot of them have been doing this for so long,” says Ms. Snider whose first position with Collier libraries was as a storyteller. “There’s a lot of work put into storytime. It’s fantastic to see the level of interaction from the kids.”

Storytime in Charlotte County morphed after a meeting of the minds, says Ms. Guerzo who also credits a virtual training workshop with nationally celebrated storyteller, author and teaching artist Sherry Norfolk highlighting the importance of sensory experiences to reach all children.

“The youth librarians got together, thinking about what we wanted as kids,” she says. “Sometimes parents suggest themes like emotional awareness, sharing and caring and I’ll just jump on it.”

Charlotte reinforces the storytime theme at home with free monthly craft kits, available while supplies last.

Today’s storytimes cater to all ages, with programs specifically designed for babies, toddlers, early elementary and a melding of all age groups.

“When I first started, we didn’t have baby storytimes,” says Robyn Hemond, system children’s services coordinator and a 27-year-plus veteran of the Palm Beach County Library System. “That’s happened since I’ve been here. Libraries have changed so much. We now have coding for robotic kits in our professional collections.”

By purchasing big-ticket items for the system-wide collections, Palm Beach County’s 17 branches have access to the robotic kits, as well as storytime books, props and puppets.

There’s a method to the madness and seemingly mayhem behind the happy noises, song and dance, bouncing babies and bubbles. For infants, bouncing on a caregiver’s lap with a board book is a bonding experience, says Ms. Hemond, noting storytimes for older kids are designed to improve listening, attention and reading skills through stories, group interaction, hands-on activities, movement, music and dramatic play.

“They’re learning the difference between quiet time and when it’s OK to sing and dance and get their wiggles out,” Ms. Hemond says.

Today, storytime has an intention.

“We used to take a random book off the shelf and read it, but we know so much more now about children and how they develop,” says Ms. McWilliams. “We put a lot of emphasis on restructuring our programs for birth to 5 years a few years ago, building intentional programs and went through training, learning how to incorporate early learning strategies into storytime.”

Studies, Ms. McWilliams says, show toddlers respond best to few words and emotion-packed books. Preschoolers can sit longer and learn from choral reading — reading aloud in unison with others.

“Silly sounds and made-up words, singing, playing and coloring with crayons help develop reading, writing and talking skills,” she says, adding Lee County’s restructured programming was supposed to kick off in March 2020. Then COVID happened. “Our goal is to make sure parents understand their role in getting their kids ready for kindergarten.”

Keeping the imaginations, not to mention the attention spans and bodies, of curious kids focused on the story can be a challenge. Yet, some librarians are so skilled at holding the rapt attention of the youngest listeners, they inspire intense admiration from their colleagues.

“We have one librarian I call the baby whisperer,” says Ms. McWilliams. “Babies love her.”

“At McGuire Park, we’re competing with a splashpad and playground,” says Ms. Guerzo. “We have to keep the kids very active to keep their attention.”

“Stories in the Shade” begins with the “scarf song” as children hold rainbow patterned scarves — good for developing hand-eye coordination and gross motor skills — and always ends with “goodbye bubbles.” In between, there are shaker eggs, sign language and activities to encourage older kids to interact with the youngest attendees.

Charlotte libraries’ twice-monthly “Mother Goose on the Loose” storytimes are tailored to babies 2 and under, with bouncing rhymes, board books, songs and sensory activities.

“It’s important to make eye contact as much as possible with the youngest children and get down on their level,” says Ms. Guerzo. “Watching them use sign language is amazing.”

Lee County also offers sign language, assisted listening and reduced-stimulation storytimes by request. Its mobile outreach team visits migrant camps to bring bilingual storytime to underserved children. Charlotte County’s “Dog Tales” caters to early readers, children struggling with reading and adults with developmental disabilities, pairing them with therapy dogs from the humane society for a 15-minute read-out-loud session.

In Palm Beach County, storytime for toddlers is more traditional with short books, movement, rhymes and repetition, says Ms. Hemond. “They’re learning concepts like colors, numbers, emotions and opposites – things they might be familiar with around their home. They’re building their vocabulary.”

As children age through the various storytime offerings at local libraries, they develop important skills they’ll need for school readiness, learning to follow directions, when to sit still and be quiet and when they can sing at the top of their lungs and dance. They gain confidence and independence.

Children also begin developing their social skills.

“There’s very much a social component to storytime,” says Ms. Hemond. “There’s the social aspect of kids getting to be around their peers. Kids grow up too fast and become independent and start pulling away all too soon. Storytimes is a good time to build that bound for later.”

Storytime also builds a network for parents and caregivers, giving them opportunities to speak to their peers with children the same age, get feedback on developmental milestones as well as encouragement.

“We’re finding new parents are still coming to the library to find resource and check out books,” Ms. Hemond says. “Caregivers and parents are a child’s first teachers. I was thinking about all the good things children learn through storytime and at home. They model behaviors from their caregivers like how they hold a book. They see someone using a book and learn how it works, going from front to back. These are the little things that are so engrained in us, we don’t think about it. Those are the things children are picking up.”

Local libraries also arm parents with tools and suggestions for at-home lessons to help curb the dreaded ‘summer slide,” happening right now as the extended summer break takes its toll on reading and writing comprehensive for most school-aged children.

Virtual storytimes are also available on library websites. During COVID closures, Lee libraries had more leniency from publishers to use their books for virtual programs. With the return of in-person sessions last August, the library system now offers online “Storytime Anytime,” featuring short evergreen selections of rhymes, classic tales and folktales it posts monthly.

Just as storytime has evolved so, too, have libraries. Today, they offer more services to prepare kids not just for preschool but middle and high school, too – although it’s tough to compete with extracurricular activities, team sports and jobs. They provide tutoring, test prep, resources, guidance on college and post-secondary education, STEAM-based programs and even volunteer opportunities to earn community service hours for Bright Futures scholarships. Charlotte County offers an adulting class, “How not to Fail” and an auto maintenance workshop covering tire and oil changes and other basics.

“Libraries are here to bridge a gap,” says Ms. Guerzo. “Parents tell us all the time they communicate more with their kids and have more control of their childrearing. We share literacy tips and try to include the whole family in the process.”

And parents and children remember.

During her 18 years with the Lee library system, the last eight working with children, Ms. McWilliams has reunited with former storytimers by happenstance. “At the March reading fest, I saw a woman I recognized and asked her about her daughter. Well, her daughter is 10 now and taller than me,” she says fondly. “One of my colleagues at Riverdale is seeing babies who came in for storytime bringing their babies in. This is really rewarding.”

Parents in Lee County also remembered Ms. McWilliams when libraries closed during the pandemic, reaching out to her via social media to find out when books and materials would be available again.

“A lot of our staff members run into kids who are in high school, college or adults now who say, ‘You used to read me stories,’” says Ms. Hemond. “When our staff is participating in school events and other activities out in the community, children really bond with them and want to go to their library branch. Those moments have real meaning.”

“I was lucky to help out in youth services — I found my calling,” says Ms. Guerzo who started as a part-time library technician with Charlotte County in 2015. “I went back to school and got my master’s degree. I feel like these kids are my kids, too.” ¦

Give a Book a Look this Summer

With summer vacay now underway, so, too, are annual summer reading programs at local libraries, providing another tool for parents and caregivers to help their children become avid readers and avoid the dreaded summer slide – when reading comprehension declines during the months-long school break. Children read a book at their own pace during the “Oceans of Possibilities” program (also available virtually) and win prizes.

Most reading programs continue through the end of July, and if you’ve happened to venture into your local library lately, you’ve likely noticed the enticing prize packages – everything from brag badges, bookmarks and activity books to squeaky rubber crabs, a cool clown fish backpack and beach mat. There’s still plenty of time to win grand-prize drawings and achievement awards as youngster – teens and adults, too – read their way through summer and those predictable afternoon storms.

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