Storytime at Tuckahoe Library Creates Atmosphere and Love for Books at Early Ages

It's never too early to introduce children to books and reading. 

Every Friday at 11:00 a.m. at the Tuckahoe Library you can find approximately 20-25 young children  up to 4 years old sitting, lying, crawling or walking around but listening attentively and actively involved in story time with their parents. 

Each weekly session is approximately 30 minutes and is conducted by children's librarian and professional storyteller Ellen Tannenbaum.

"We do a very active story time.  I average 20 kids a week and their parents. I try to get parents involved as much as the kids.  It's broken up between stories, songs, and movement," she said.

Friday's format flowed cohesively between singing Old McDonald, reading a story about rhinos, dancing along to a story about a dancing giraffe, sitting and listening to a tortoise and hare story, listening and jumping along to the Jump story book and more. There was never a dull moment. It was action packed and catered to the needs of the children on that day.

"I can involve a story with them jumping up and down like we did today.  Sometimes we do the Hokey Pokey, or Ring Around the Rosy," she said.  "We'll do something so they are not sitting for 30 minutes, but then there are some weeks when all they want to do is sit or lay on their bellies and listen.  We use 30 minutes as a guideline, sometimes it runs a little longer depending on what the kids are up to on any given day.  We try to keep them happy." 

Kids and parents both love story time.

For Alexander Zhou, 3, the best part of story time is always The Jump Book, an active movement story about animals, with each page ending with the phrase "…and then I jump," with the 15 kids responding.

"I jump high!" he beamed.

Many parents like to use books as teaching tools for their children.

Miranda Mo, Alexander's mom, explained "Reading to him is important.  We started when he was 1 ½ years old, it helps him.  Books are great ways for him to learn things.  It's hard to teach him things by telling him what to do and what not to do.  But when it's in the story he understands it, and will follow and apply it to his life."

Melania Petrillo and her 4 year old son, Luigi, were visiting the Tuckahoe library's story time for the second time.

"Story time is great.  It's good for the kids growing up and their going to realize the benefit of reading books." Petrillo said.

Luigi was eager to tell about his favorite book, Russell the Sheep.

"Russell can't sleep, he tries to sleep in the car but there is junk in it…so he counts sheep: 1, 2, 3…. and falls asleep. Sometimes I have trouble falling asleep too," he explained.

Some children are story-time veterans who come faithfully every week. Three- year-old Ellenor Hale has been coming to story time every week for a year with her babysitter.

Some kids are older and come to library with their younger siblings.  While Ellenor is at story time, 6-year-old Andrew Hale, Ellenor's older brother, quietly reads.

"I don't like story time much, I'm a big boy! So I like to read quietly instead," he said, proudly showing off his library card, with his name on the back.

Story time at the Tuckahoe Library is an all inclusive family event. Grandmothers Frecie Flores and Terry Bertiz love to bring their grandchildren there.

"We have a lot of fun coming to story time.  The kids like it and they always ask, 'Tita can we go to story time?'" Flores smiled.

"We have a lot of books in the house.  We usually read them, but we come to the library also for books.  They like to play with the toys they have in the children's area too while we read stories,"  Bertiz explained.

Even young toddlers love reading too:  17-month-old Ashana Khanna already has an interest in books, her caretaker Amina Khalid explained.

"I read a lot of books to her.  She loves books with music and songs.  She loves to sing and the stories hold her attention.  The books help her learn words. When her parents come home they read to her at night."