PELL CITY — Tales of teddy bears and boa constrictors were in high demand Thursday at the Pell City Public Library.The stories were delivered by guest reader and Alabama first lady Patsy Riley, who stopped by the library to read to preschoolers.
"I think exposing children to reading is very important," Riley said. "As soon as a child can hold a book or see a picture their parents or grandparents should expose them to the world reading can open.
"If children develop a love of books at an early age they’re more inclined to want to read," she said.
Riley was invited to the library to promote the Imagination Library of the Pell City School District, Inc., a non-profit organization that provides free books to children 5 years old and under. The Pell City Imagination Library is a spin-off of the national program of the same name founded 10 years ago in Tennessee by Dolly Parton.
Having a local program that provides free books and promotes literacy sounded good to Riley.
"You have to realize there are families and single mothers out there who are worried about how they are going to pay for a can of soup and some crackers to feed their families," she said. "To have a program that will supply free books to those children and any other children beginning at birth is fantastic."
In order to promote reading among preschoolers, Riley brought along two of her own books, "The Day Jimmy’s Boa Ate the Wash" and "Teddy Bears Cure a Cold," to share with the audience of children.
"There is no greater joy than letting a child climb on your lap for a story," Riley said.
Besides promoting literacy, Thursday’s event was also used as a membership drive for the Pell City Imagination Library and to gain feedback from the parents of children who are already enrolled in the program.
"There are still a lot of children out there under 5 in the Pell City school district who are not enrolled in the Imagination Library," said Darla Sherman, Pell City Imagination Library chairwoman. "We want to get everyone in this program."
Parents of children who attended the event were quick to give high reviews of what the program had done for their children.
"We love it," said Rosea Beavers, whose granddaughter Zykeria Green, 2, has been in the program since it began in 2004. "We didn’t think Zykeria would be interested in the books when we first signed up.
"Now, every time a book comes in the mail she is so excited and doesn’t want to let anyone else even hold the book," Beavers said. "She came into the world wanting to learn and this has been a big help. It’s really a great program."
Every child who lives in the Pell City school district is eligible for the program until their 5th birthday at which point they are deemed an Imagination Library graduate.
The program is designed to expose preschool children to reading to prepare them to enter school with a learning frame of mind.
"This program has been a tremendous help," said Melanie Payne, whose 3-year-old son, Dylan, has been enrolled in the program for almost two years. "Dylan has to have his bedtime story every night and it usually ends up being five or six bedtime stories. This has really helped him develop intellectually."
One parent at the event said he had a lot of first hand experience with the Imagination Library.
"All three of my sons have been part of the Imagination Library," Pell City Mayor Adam Stocks said. "I think it’s vital that parents or grandparents read to preschool children. There is no better way to give children an advantage when they enter school than to expose them to books."
