Storyriders

Where and When Can I see the Storyriders?

Starting the week of September 10, 2012, Berks StoryRiders can be found in the following Berks County Public Libraries. Please contact the libraries for specific schedule and age of intended audience. StoryRider schedules are available in these libraries.

Come join us for stories, songs, fingerplays and, of course, a craft! Our Fall session is full of topics that will give us lots of opportunities for learning and fun. We'll be presenting storytimes to the youngest patrons that stress important early literacy skills. Contact your local library for times and come join us for the following storytimes:

• Whisky Frisky Squirrels • Please and Thank You • Yum, Yum I Love Apples! • Yummy in My Tummy •
• Fox Tales • Giant Giraffes • Pumpkins, Pumpkins Fat & Fine • Fire Safety •
• Time for Tools • Colors All Around • Zoom, Chug, Beep • Splish, Splash Bathtime •
• Music, Music, Music • All Aboard! •

Who Are the Storyriders?

Storyriders are preschool program specialists who come to your local library and selected daycare centers to present preschool story hours. They engage the youngest patrons and their caregivers in a unique public library outreach. The three Storyriders are part-time professionals with backgrounds including early childhood education, storytelling and library work.

This service is provided countywide through the BCPL system headquarters.

What Do Storyriders Do?

Storyriders make libraries fun! In libraries all over Berks County, Storyriders get preschoolers excited about literature by conducting interactive storytimes. Programs include stories and songs, games and giggles, a simple craft and lots of good times.

Storyriders are conspicuous. You can easily spot or hear one in the library. She is the one wearing the silly socks or blowing bubbles or shaking "shakey eggs." Talking with a puppet, jumping through hoops or leading fun fingerplays is all part of her repertoire.

The Storyrider 's bag is full of goodies to engage the children and their caregivers in the love of language and literature. The bag may include:

• Scarves, hoops, beanbags, crafts
• Large bright colorful books, flannelgraph and draw-n-tell stories.
• CDs, song sheets, shakey eggs
• Puppets, costumes, and bubbles

What Happens at a Storytime?

Anything can happen at a storytime. Storytimes vary according to a child's age. In general, infants will have a shorter time which incorporates more repetitive songs, rhymes and gentle actions done with the caregiver. As age increases, so does the storytime length and the use of stories, books and action rhymes for the child to learn.

The target audiences for these storytimes are age and developmental stage specific:

• Infants/ Prewalkers (baby lapsits)
• Toddlers/ Walkers (12 mos. - 3 years)
• Older preschoolers (3-5 years)

Meet the Berks County Storyriders

Denise Curran comes from an elementary teaching background. She is an active library board member and public education advocate. The secret to her boundless energy is chocolate! Miss Denise has been a Storyrider since February 2002.

Barbara Hughes is a former elementary and preschool teacher. She loves to sing and work in her garden. She owns a kitty that likes to ride a kitchen chair like a race car. Miss Barbara has been a Storyrider since February 2002.

Patt McCloskey has lived a respectable life as a library volunteer, a library director, a board member and website developer. But by night she is known to devolve into a giggling roll-on-the-floor playmate spouting show tunes and camp songs, making ooblec and sleepy dolls and reading reading reading with Fiona, Klara, James and Sacha. "Now I get to giggle all day long, too." Patt has been a Storyrider since December 2013.

What are Library Patrons Saying about Storyriders?

Twenty-two-month old Maylynn, hummed the tune to "Baby Shark" with corresponding hand and arm gestures that she learned in Storyrider summer storytime on a recent visit to the Adventure Aquarium, her Grandmother reported.

During a recent "Blue" theme, Miss Denise looked out at her young library patron audience as they sang "I spy blue, I spy blue, yes I do, you can too. I spy blue jeans, I spy blue shirt, I spy blue scarf and blue shoes too …" She made a fun discovery. All six of her preschoolers were wearing something blue. The "blue" group looked especially distinguished after making the perfect matching accessory - blue party masks.

Recently, a repetitive, predictable story used by the StoryRiders included many animals including a pink flamingo. The following are a few of the precious pronunciations heard by Miss Barbara as the preschoolers repeated the list of animal characters. "Flawingo". "Falingo". "Flingo".

"Now can we read a story?" a three and one-half year old patron asked Miss Barb repeatedly during the opening "Hello" song. What a joy to hear that question. Sometimes the greatest perks of this job come unexpectedly. Priceless treasures: having an autistic preschooler make eye contact with you; finding a trilingual three year old (Portuguese, Indian, English) who translates your questions; seeing incognito preschool celebrities dressed in sunglasses throughout your storyhour. At the end of storyhours many things are shared between StoryRider and preschooler – high-fives, hugs, prized artwork, hand written notes and stories, just picked wild flowers and sometimes even a few half-eaten gummy bears.

If you have questions or want to give us some feedback about the Storyrider program at your library, please feel free to contact us at barbara@berks.lib.pa.us or denise@berks.lib.pa.us or marysecor@berks.lib.pa.us