Tell Me A Story

There was a special visitor at storytime at the Milford Public Library on Tuesday -- Red, the mascot for Red Robin restaurant at Westfield Shoppingtown/Connecticut Post Mall.

Red, an actor dressed in a bright red, yellow and blue bird costume, gave hugs to some of the approximately 15 youngsters who listened to two books about going to restaurants: "Froggy Eats Out" by Jonathan London and "Burger Boy" by Alan Durant. Both can be borrowed from the library.

The first was about a boy who's learning how to prepare to go to restaurants and how to behave in restaurants. Red Robin trainee Marily Middlemass read as Red acted out parts of the book. Click on first video.

" 'I know,' " said Froggy, "Be neat, be quiet and don't put your feet on the table,' " Middlemass read.

Next up was Donna Ellis, marketing coordinator for the restaurant, which donated $3,000 to the library to encourage kids to read.

"If I want to go to Red Robin to eat and have fun and make noise, where would I go?" she asked the kids.

"At the mall!" one kid shouted.

Upon reading "Burger Boy," Ellis came to a part when the main character says, "I'll never eat another burger!"

She told the kids, "But don't listen to that!"

The parents laughed.

Parents and grandparents alike praised the story hour, held Tuesday at 10 a.m. And they had high praise for Children's Librarian Suzanne Harrison-Thomas.

"We love coming to storytime," said Andrea Hagenbach, who was accompanied by her two children, Matthew Hagenbach, 3, and Mallory Hagenbach, 4 months.

"Yeah!" Matthew said.

The adults who took children to the library said it gives the kids and the adults a chance to socialize with one another.

Kathleen Hunter, who was with her grandsons, Daniel Toole and Elias Rosengrant, said she makes a whole trip of it -- going to story hour, then into the library to look at books, and finally out to the playground for some more fun.

"I'll go to Red Robin just because I know they donated money to this program," she said. "It's just so well run and age appropriate." See second video.