Parish families can register for the library’s free Prime Time Family Reading program at the end of the month.
The six-week program begins Sept. 10 and ends Oct. 15 and will be held at the East Regional Library in Destrehan.
Designed to promote literacy and critical thinking skills, the program invites caregivers and their children, ages 6 to 10, to read and discuss children’s literature during weekly sessions on Wednesdays from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The sessions begin with a shared family dinner.
Youth Services Librarian Raven Spizale said the library has hosted the program multiple times over the past few years.
“We even did it virtually over Zoom during Covid,” Spizale said. “Each time the library hosts, it gets better and better.”
The program is a project of the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities and includes a storyteller and a scholar that lead each session. The storyteller reads an award-winning children’s books aloud and then the scholar guides a discussion of the major themes of the book.
The scholar this year is Dr. Daniel Gonzalez, the assistant dean at the College of Liberal Arts, Education and Human Development at the University of New Orleans. Gonzales has been the lead scholar on several occasions at the library.
There are spots for 12 families in the program.
“The families can be of any size,” Spizale said. “Each family must have at least one child between the ages of 6 and 10 years old to register for the program. There are actually two parts of Prime Time Family Reading — the main reading and discussion part and a separate part of the program for younger siblings that is more of a traditional storytime with a craft.”
The program focuses on the humanities and books are chosen that portray culturally diverse stories, folk tales and historical accounts from around the world. The program will reach 38 communities across 16 parishes this fall.
Spizale said she is most looking forward to the group discussions.
“The discussion is the real star of the show,” she said. “It is always wonderful to hear the connections the kids make, and you can never predict what they will say. The storyteller brings the story to life while the scholar gently guides the conversation to gain a deeper understanding of the work. It’s great to see the family engagement that happens when everyone participates.”
The program also encourages family bonding through reading, and families receive copies of the books to build their own home libraries and continue the reading and discussion at home.
Spizale said she thinks the biggest takeaway for families of the program is how much they can learn from discussing picture books.
“These stories may be small, but the ideas are big,” she said. “Children and grown-ups alike become immersed in the tales and the discussion allows for the whole family to share their thoughts.”
The main program will be in the large meeting room at the library, while a separate storytime and activity for younger siblings will take place in the small meeting room next door.
The library had to apply for a chance to host the program. It received a grant to help pay for the family meals and the other materials needed for the program.
