Library Summer Reading Programs

Thoughts About Developing a Theme-Related Show

Years ago, as a mother with five young children, I became a volunteer storyteller

for a small community in New Jersey, and I loved it! I didn’t realize it at the time, but those years with the library helped me learn other skills that eventually made it possible for me to spend 16 years as a part-time magician, puppeteer and clown for children’s parties.

 By 1996 I reviewed my various talents and experiences and decided to launch a new business as a professional storyteller. Because I had so loved telling stories as a volunteer for a library, I explored the idea of joining the ranks of paid performers for summer reading programs. 

I discovered that many library systems conduct group auditions for potential performers to ensure quality and good value for their patrons. These auditions often take place a year or more before the season begins. The trick is to find out how to get on the list for auditions in your area, and the best way to learn about the local system is to talk with your neighborhood librarian. 

Many libraries across the country subscribe to the Collaborative Summer Library Program (CSLP), a professional, cost-saving approach for libraries wishing to present a comprehensive theme for print and program promotion. A visit to the CSLP website http://www.cslpreads.org/ provides information about the current theme for different audiences (pre-school, children, teens, and seniors). Performers who prepare shows to complement a specific theme and audience are in a good position to be hired by libraries subscribing to CSLP.  

It is not unusual for libraries to start plans for reading programs as early as a year before school is out for summer vacation. It is vital for library performers to be thinking about a summer show well in advance, particularly if you want to develop a program with a CSLP theme. Most library summer reading program schedules are firm no later than March each year. This is why I consider what I might do next summer even before the current reading program season is over.  

Some librarians elect to do what they have done for years by providing a mixed bag of reading programs. In many cases, a CSLP show will still work for these libraries, but if you have several other programs ready to go, you might be asked to present one of these shows instead. 

From my point of view, the best part of the CSLP collaborative is the opportunity to take a program to different communities. If you like to travel, an audience-tested  CSLP show can make it possible for you to go on tour in your own state or to other areas around the country. It’s a bit tricky, but by securing block bookings it is possible for a performer to keep expenses down, charge reasonable, competitive rates and still stay within library budgets.

Over the years, I have created and successfully presented theme-related shows about dragons, pirates, creativity, bugs, pets, water, and healthy choices. This year, the reading theme is “Dig into Reading,” so I have prepared a new program, “Squirrely Shirley Digs Up a Treasure Chest of Trouble,” a storytelling/puppet show for children and families. 

I am in currently the midst of getting ready to start my third summer storytelling tour. As I look back on how I began traveling from state to state during the summer months, I realize that my touring with a show happened more by accident than by intent. All it took was a call from a CSLP librarian in an area where I wanted to visit. I feel particularly grateful to have enjoyed this opportunity for so long. 

This summer I will be on tour from Tucson, Arizona to Washington State, and from there I hope to go to Kalispell, Montana. The final part of this tour has not yet been confirmed, but I am an optimist. I’m looking at the possibility of performing at summer camps and other venues to help make this part of the tour happen. I will keep you posted. 

Storytelling, Reading and Math - Oh My!

I was recently asked to provide a storytelling program for Family Reading and Math Night at a Title One Elementary School in Tucson, Arizona. The evening celebration proved to be a surprising and wonderful time for everyone involved. I hope other schools will seriously consider doing an interactive evening like this.  

Students and parents brought blankets to sit on and enjoy an informal, light picnic dinner in the school courtyard. My story program to complement the love of reading and the joy of problem solving through math was next. The schedule for the evening concluded with some creative, hands-on workshops.  

Prior to the event, I provided the teachers with a resource list and an outline of the stories I planned to tell. I also gave them some suggested workshop activities to consider.    

I encouraged the school librarian to set aside some books with stories similar to the tales I would be telling. By providing easy access to a variety of books, interested students could read these stories from different authors and see how folktales are creatively rewritten today. 

My story session started with an introduction to the Tangram, the ancient Chinese puzzle using seven geometric shapes to create recognizable figures and objects. I made a dog and a cat from these shapes as the audience watched. The students participated by identifying the seven shapes that make up a Tangram.

With the dog and cat shapes in place, I shared a traditional pourquoi tale, "Why Dogs and Cats Are No Longer Friends."

The next story was “Counting the Donkeys,” a humorous middle eastern Nasrudin tale about the need to remember to count every donkey, even your own.   

I then told the story of “The Mice and the Elephants.” This one of my favorite tales from India because it reminds listeners about other stories featuring unlikely animals helping one another. For students who have had an introduction to world literature, the Aesop tale of the “Mouse and the Lion” is frequently mentioned as being similar to the mice and elephant story. 

I usually bring a puppet with me to storytelling sessions. For this event, I brought Scratcher the Mouse. Scratcher’s personality is child-like, and children usually love it when he appears. He told a short story from Mexico that he calls, “Grandma Mouse.” It is a tale about a mouse who barks like a dog to scare away a cat. The story ends with Grandma telling the little mice, “Sometimes it is a good idea if you know a second language.” Scratcher’s tale about the barking mouse is a great way to reinforce the value of being bilingual. 

I ended the set with a prop story I call “Sara.” My “Sara” story is really the well-known tailor story first recorded as a Jewish folksong from Russia. My rendition of the tale is from the point of view of the tailor's daughter, and students seem to identify nicely with this approach.   

As the storytelling concluded, I reminded the audience to be sure to attend the family workshops before going home.  Following are the sessions the teachers developed that related to two of the stories I told.

 

(1) Making Tangram Puzzles and Shapes

 

(2) Making a Sequential Prop (to illustrate an original story) 

 

The positive feed-back I received after this school Family Reading and Math Night has been energizing for me. While I firmly believe stories and storytelling are essential to the learning process throughout life, it is not often I am able to experience first-hand such enthusiastic, intergenerational participation during and immediately following a show.  

If you are involved with organizing a family celebration at a school, I encourage you to try a Family Reading and Math Night. You will be well rewarded.