If you flip through local events calendars, there are dozens of story hours or plays for children through local organizations.
While these story times and theatrical productions might keep your child entertained for half an hour or so, how many of these events pay it forward to other local kids?
Tricia Adams, Christian education coordinator at the First Presbyterian Church in Baldwinsville, has come up with such a story time. Along with the Baldwinsville Theatre Guild, the church is hosting “Give a Book, Get Two Stories” this weekend.
In lieu of admission, families are asked to bring a brand new book, which will be donated to the Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital or PEACE Inc.
In return, they’ll get to see BTG actors act out “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” and “Press Here.”
“I’m always looking for ways to involve the community and do things for young families,” Adams said. “Literacy is very important to me.”
Adams, a mother of two children who attend Westhill schools, has a master’s in elementary education from SUNY Oswego.
She student-taught in the Syracuse City School District and was saddened when her students left book fairs empty-handed because they couldn’t afford to buy a book.
“Sometimes, there just isn’t the money,” she said.
While many young readers appreciate secondhand donations, Adams said nothing compares to “the feeling of having a book that’s brand new and it’s yours.”
With the Theatre Guild winding down from its March run of “Jekyll and Hyde: The Musical,” BTG, whose home base is the Presbyterian Church’s Education Center, agreed to help Adams out with the interactive story hour she was planning.
Josh Taylor, BTG production chair, consulted some experts about which books to perform: his preschool-aged children.
They chose Laura Numeroff’s “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie,” which shows the zany sequence of events caused by giving a mouse a treat, and Herve Tullet’s “Press Here,” which entices young readers to press brightly colored dots to see what happens next.
“He understands there has to be interaction,” Adams said.
Taylor and his actors will be bringing props for the preschool audience to play with during the show.
Depending on this weekend’s turnout, Adams said she hopes to host more interactive reading events to benefit other local organizations.
“I can’t wait to see it,” she said.
“Give a Book, Get Two Stories” takes place from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 18, and from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday, April 19, at the First Presbyterian Church, located at 64 Oswego St. in Baldwinsville.
Admission is a new, unwrapped book for children — any genre is welcome. Refreshments will be provided by Wegmans.
For more information, contact Tricia Adams at 635-9964 or [email protected].
