There are kids in the Hort library! Yep, we’re reaching out to young audiences. Apple Seed Director Pam Ito offers botany classes for 6 – 8 year olds right here in the library. The current series focuses on biomes (you know, ecosystems). We’re learning about desert, rainforest, evergreen, deciduous and aquatic plants.
At the end of her class, I read a specially selected juvenile book from our collection. And guess what? It’s lots of fun all around. I get to indulge my inner drama queen and the kids are wide-eyed in wonder at the tales we tell. They even get to borrow books from the library to read at home, and by all accounts that’s a thrill for them too since this is their first experience of a specialized library.
I heartily recommend these books to parents, teachers and kids :
Desert Giant: The Story of the Saguaro Cactus by Barbara Bash is a terrific non-fiction story about this fifty foot tall cactus that looks a bit like a person. It shows how local people and wildlife make use of all the parts of the plant.
One girl asked if we have a very similar book called Cactus Hotel by Brenda Z. Guiberson. (Yes,
The Great Kapok Tree: A Tale of the Amazon Rain Forest by Lynne Cherry is also beautifully illustrated and focused on how dependent living beings are on this plant. Importantly, it dramatically highlights the precarious existence of the world’s rain forests. Your little ones will be engrossed by this fictional story and the animals that whisper, growl, chatter and sing.
Toddlers Too! Stay tuned; we’re starting a story hour that will introduce the youngins to the wonderful world of plants.
Katherine Powis, Librarian
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