TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Suncoast Pasco News

Catching The Reading 'Bug' At Library

Sierra Mision/SUNCOAST NEWS

James Francosky gathers the crowd's interest last week at the South Holiday Branch Library as he reveals the story's ending.

ADVERTISEMENT

BY SIERRA MISION

SUNCOAST NEWS INTERN

Published: July 26, 2008

HOLIDAY -- Reading is exciting, especially when there is a twist involved. That's what officials at the Pasco County Library System want to show its youngest patrons.

At the county's South Holiday Branch Library, nearly 40 elementary-aged children - the largest group yet - gathered around a brown and gold colored treasure box, blue packets in hand, volume escalating as they waited for a librarian to come.

"They get a prize for every book they read," explains Adele Werner, the youth service provider for the summer reading program.

The free program began more than 20 years ago in Minnesota, when 10 library systems decided to increase interest in reading. Since then the program has expanded across the nation, and all the libraries in the Pasco County Library System participate.

For Pasco County, the program starts in June and runs through the month of July. There are assorted programs available for different age groups.

When the children sign up, they are given a blue packet, their reading log. When the log is opened, a caterpillar is revealed, with room to place six stamps throughout its body, one stamp for each book read.

On the back of the log, each child writes the title of the book he or she has read. At the end of the program, there's a party for those who filled in the caterpillar.

When a librarian arrives to unlock the treasure box, the children scramble to form a line. One by one, they approach the librarian, giving her the reading log to stamp.

As the librarian takes her stamp out, she asks each child for a brief summary of the book, just to make sure that a parent isn't the one reading, because this is, after all, about them.

After giving a brief synopsis, the treasure box opens and hands dive in for a prize.

Meanwhile, as the children receive their prizes, James Francosky, the youth provider for the elementary-aged program, prepares for the afternoon's feature event, "Bug Fear Factor." As Francosky sets up, he explains that he came up with the event idea once he learned this year's theme entailed bugs.

Eager to give the program a twist, Francosky decided to mimic the former reality TV game show "Fear Factor." Before the room filled, he placed a green box labeled "Bug Fear Factor" on the front desk.

"Did you guys know that people in other parts of the world eat bugs?" Francosky asked, stirring interest. And so "Bug Fear Factor" began.

After reading Sam's Pizza, a book complete with bug toppings, the children were invited to make their own pizza with markers, colored pencils and artificial bugs.

It wasn't called "Bug Fear Factor" for nothing, though. Once the children were settled back into their spots on the floor, Francosky lifted the green box and turned to the parents, who don't get enough action in these activities, according to Francosky.

As he opened the box and removed its contents, the children's eyes widened when they saw a cricket emerge. But the cricket was for the parents. To uphold the activity's theme, Francosky asked one of the parents to step forward and eat the live cricket.

According to a grinning Francosky, when children see someone re-enact what they have only read about, they get to experience "the disgusting stuff" that attracts them to the book in the first place.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT