“Welcome to the Book Tasting event,” said Lee Librarian Debbie Cisler dressed as Italian chef “Uncle Luigi” with a big pizza hat and a penciled-on curly mustache. Krispy Kreme Doughnuts in Grand Rapids supplied paper hats for each of the students to wear as they sampled the new books.
The “Book Tasting” event was made possible thanks to a grant from the Thornapple Area Enrichment Foundation and support from the Lee PTO. Second-grade teachers Catrina Edwards and Stephanie Woods worked together to write the TAEF grant.
Funds allowed Cisler to purchase 52 new books for the library. Each table in the library was set up with an appetizer of books of different types - one table featured graphic novels, another chapter books. There were also tables for nonfiction, books about kindness, picture books and the beloved “Pigeon” series of books.
As students were seated at their tables, they each received a “menu” of the new books available. The menu read, “Sample the ‘Yummy’ books at the library! Get ready to embark on a delicious literary adventure as you sample some of the latest and greatest books from our Lee Library.”
Students were encouraged to highlight the titles of books that grabbed their attention and use the menu as a guide for books they would like to check out in the future.
“We had a wish list of new books we wanted to have in the library,” said Edwards who came up with the book tasting idea for Lee. “These are books that students want to read. Some are a continuation of a series that we already have in the library. Others are new titles and some replace worn out much-loved books.”
Woods added that she’s thrilled to have new books available. “It’s all about getting students excited about reading. Some of them are additional books in series that students love. Some are replacing beloved books that are just getting worn out. It’s just exciting to have new books in the library.”
Edwards said they plan to make the book tasting event an annual event added to their March Reading Month festivities. “It just helps build excitement about reading and lets students get a taste of some of the titles in the library.”