Recap of Recaps: December 4–December 12

Submitted by Joanie Goforth

Take a look at these (somewhat delayed) recaps from system-wide programming that took place between December 4–December 12:

Young ones meet the Santa puppet during the Outreach Storytime Visit to Central Park

Pleased audience members during the Music From Around the World Violin Concert

'Tis the Season for Stories at Cumming Library

94 children, 75 adults

"Signe and I planned this holiday storytime which we presented to two different audiences. Many of the children dressed in special holiday attire. As I read 'Twas the Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore, I noted some of the parents reciting some of the phrases along with me. Meanwhile, Kaity was behind the puppet theater with the mouse puppet, Santa, and various props, acting out the story. Signe read The Eight Knights of Hanukkah by Leslie Kimmelman while Kaity hid again with the dragon behind the puppet theater. The dragon kept making secret appearances throughout, which the children loved! I read How Does Santa Go Down the Chimney? by Mac Barnett, a quick and fun read. Signe read our final book, The Christmas Book Flood by Emily Kilgore, which celebrates a tradition in Iceland of giving books on Christmas Eve. We did some holiday-themed activities together and presented the puppet show "Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Sleigh." Signe prepared a holiday wreath craft and we had a dreidel available for kids to play with after storytime." –hosted by Julie Boyd

Introduction to Yiddish Language and Culture at Hampton Park Library

3 adults

A Stories of Exile series program:

"Rabbi Mendel Ehrenreich presented on Yiddish language. He covered the roots of Yiddish in the 9th century BCE, different ethnic Jewish groups and their languages, and the use of language to keep Jewish communities connected while living in other areas. Yiddish emerged because Hebrew was used only for religious purposes and the Jewish people needed a language to use every day. We learned that there are lots of different dialects of Yiddish, and they are heavily influenced by the country in which the community is based. For example, the rabbi can speak Yiddish with a Hungarian dialect and a Russian dialect. He explained that Yiddish was almost lost during the Holocaust and that a major place where Yiddish is now spoken is in the Jewish communities in New York and New Jersey. Rabbi Ehrenreich brought in Yiddish newspapers and books, one of which was a translation of the Torah completely in Yiddish, which is unusual. This was a good, educational program and very impactful for the patrons who attended. Rabbi Ehrenreich offered to come back to speak on anything about Jewish history and culture.” –hosted by Brooke West

Finding Gobi: Meet Dion Leonard & Gobi at Post Road Library

3 children, 30 adults

”We had a fantastic turnout for Finding Gobi! Author Dion Leonard shared the uplifting story of how Gobi became his running partner for part of the Gobi Desert Run, an ultramarathon where participants run 155 miles over seven days. At the end of the race, Dion knew his connection with Gobi meant he needed to bring her home to Edinburgh. Their story went viral with numerous news outlets and celebrities posting about it on social media. The process to get Gobi home was long and arduous, taking a turn for the worse when Gobi went missing while still in China. Dion and Gobi were eventually reunited and Gobi made it to her new home in Scotland about six months after their meeting in the desert. Gobi continues to run short races with Lucia and has developed a playful relationship with her cat sister, Lara. Attendees asked lots of great questions including how old was Gobi (9 years) and what breed (Chihuahua and Shih Tzu). Patrons were very excited to meet and take pictures with Gobi. One mother and son duo traveled all the way from Palm Beach County, Florida (a 10-hour drive!) to meet Gobi. The son had written a book about all the lessons he learned from Finding Gobi, which he gave to Dion and Lucia as a gift. They were overjoyed at such a thoughtful gift! Attendees were very complimentary about the program and everyone had a wonderful time!” –hosted by Brooke Richards

Holiday Music from Around the World - Violin Concert at Sharon Forks Library

21 children, 34 adults

"Cornina Briton and her students put on another fantastic performance of traditional holiday favorites from around the world. Corina included a PowerPoint presentation with historical context for each of the pieces performed. Students showcased their violin talents to friends, family, and library patrons. Several attendees thanked us for the program and complimented our facility.” –hosted by Amy Billings

Outreach Storytime Visit to Central Park

42 children, 43 adults

“Outreach presented two back-to-back storytimes at Central Park on December 9th. It was so much fun! Miss Christine was dressed up as Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and Miss Lorraine was just filled to the brim with the holiday spirit. We read three stories, danced “The Reindeer Pokey", shared a reindeer felt activity and the puppet show based on Mo Willems' Don't Let Pigeon Drive the Sleigh, which was a huge hit! The kids really got into telling the pigeon that he is NOT allowed to drive the sleigh!” –contributed by Lorraine Lane