Andrews – Youth Services Librarian Bridget Wilson of the Nantahala Regional Library hosted a series of guest readers for the Summer Reading Program at each of the four branches from Aug. 5-8.
Wilson invited the speakers to help conclude the summer programs ahead of the approaching school year.
Wilson said the summer programs, with the theme of “Adventure Begins at Your Library,” have been successful at each branch, with a total of 91 people attending last week’s events.
That goes along with this year’s variety of offerings for children of every age at the libraries, from Lego creations to coloring contests to visits from exotic animals.
Wilson invited different community figures to each of the branches.
- The Murphy branch hosted Mayor Tim Radford on Aug. 5.
- The reader at Moss Memorial Library in Hayesville on Aug. 6 was local poet Brenda Kay Ledford.
- Eric Reese of Robbinsville United Methodist Church read at the Graham County branch Thursday.
The Andrews branch hosted One Dozen Who Care member Kristen George on Aug. 7, reading three books from the library’s Purel Miller African-American Book Collection.
George’s chosen books included Hair Love, which details the story of an African-American father and daughter who make a morning routine into a lesson of familial bonds and superpowers. Another was Jabari Tries, which conveys the message of how even the best engineering efforts can be both aided and thwarted by siblings.
Her third book, Kenya’s Song, is a tale of adventure through culture as Kenya experiences several different forms of music at her local cultural arts center. It even included an interactive playlist to detail the different musical styles, like blues, Cuban, jazz and salsa. Much to the delight of everyone, George then led the attendees in an impromptu “dance-a-long” to try the meringue after the story ended.
The Nantahala Regional Library offers programs for all ages year-round.
Details: Visit nrlibrary.org.