Children’s Library

CHILDREN’S LIBRARY Our 2021 Summer Reading Challenge, with its Tails and Tales theme, kicked off with a petting zoo including an alpaca, two goats, two sheep, a donkey, and two rabbits. It proved to be a lot of fun for all ages and species! Other summer programs held in person and outside included Wild Animal Storytime, Mess Free Painting for Babies, Ice Cube Art, Giant Bubbles, Paper Bag Puppets, Babes on a Blanket, and Music and Movement for Wigglers. A new offering, A Bagel and a Book and a Breath of Fresh Air, enticed visitors on Friday mornings with bagels and coffee plus an opportunity to unwind and read on the Great Lawn.

Patriotism was alive and well as the community turned out in record numbers for Pequot Library’s 4th of July Bike Parade. Upwards of 1,000 people gathered at the Five Corners of Southport. The huge crowd was thrilled to reconnect, having missed the event in 2020. Children decorated their bikes, scooters, and wagons and then, led by Chris Franz, paraded down Pequot Avenue to find a plethora of fun activities on the Great Lawn. The Super Duper Weenie Truck was on hand to give out its specialty hot dogs, and face painting, hula hooping, a bubble contest, and fun crafts kept everyone engaged and happy.

“My daughter was asked by the main library to write a story of an experience she remembered in Fairfield for the Summer Reading Challenge Kickoff Party last Friday. She chose [Pequot Library’s] 4th of July Bike Parade to write about. I have attached her story below. I hope you enjoy it!”

The 4th of July Bike Parade has even inspired a young patron to write and illustrate a story of her experience called The Amazing Fun-filled Awesome 4th of July Parade.

ABC Storytime and Crafty Kids started in September and ran through May 2022. Both programs were geared to the 3- to 5-year-old set and took place on Zoom. ABC Storytime is a reading readiness program that explores a new letter each week by reading, talking, writing, singing, and making a craft. Children enjoyed hearing stories and making a related craft in Crafty Kids. A sweet Labrador therapy dog named Lucy made Saturdays in the fall special as emergent readers came to practice reading to her. Fairfield Ludlowe High School junior Elizabeth King led the program.

The Children’s Library staff organized a party to celebrate, thank, and recruit Secret Service Agents in October. Our teen volunteer program is key to our successful large community events.

Pequot Library hosted its first-ever Autumn Festival in November to celebrate the beauty of fall with seasonal activities for all ages. This event was made possible by the generous support of Morgan Stanley. As the Merwin Mountain Band played, participants enjoyed old-fashioned lawn games, crafts, and a petting zoo with a wallaby, lambs, goats, bunnies, and an alpaca. The Pantry in Fairfield sponsored our “Guess How Many?” games by supplying the prizes: delicious apple pies. Proof Pizza made pizza to order. The Southport Volunteer Fire Department brought a firetruck for young children to climb into, and we provided apple cider donuts from Blue Jay Orchards. Close to 600 people attended.

In addition, Margee Stokley taught children 8+ how to make their own comic creation in her Graphic Novel Workshop. Stokley is an actress, playwright, painter, director, and parent from Fairfield. YA novelist Namina Forna visited virtually to talk about her bestselling epic fantasy novel The Gilded Ones. She explored the craft of writing, world building, and how she gets her inspiration. The talk has a permanent home on our YouTube page. Her visit was made possible through a grant from CT Humanities and was scheduled in conjunction with our Magic, Mayhem, and Maturity: The Growth of Youth Fantasy Literature exhibition.

The Holiday Caroling Party was held mostly outdoors in December. The festive evening was full of holiday cheer, music, treats, horse-drawn carriage rides, and surprise visitors from the North Pole. Children and their families lined up in the auditorium for the opportunity to greet Mr. and Mrs. Claus and make requests for the upcoming holiday. The Russell family donated delicious sugar cookies, and Butzi Moffitt almost single-handedly packaged all the cookies for distribution. A big thank-you to longtime Library friend and neighbor Butzi!

Along with The Russell Agency, other business sponsors included Independent Jewelers Organization, Kasson Jewelers of Southport, BE Chocolat, Southport Veterinary Center, M Communications, Fairfield Country Day School, St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School, and Trinity Episcopal Church.

February’s annual Take Your Child to the Library Day offered a Pop Art Workshop led by New York-based inventor of “Cerealism,” Michael Albert. An enthusiastic group of children ages 6 and up brought cereal boxes to the workshop and transformed them into art. The workshop was well-attended, and participants were given their choice of artwork made and signed by Mr. Albert to take home.

Children 7+ entered our “Dear Me” Writing Contest, developed in conjunction with the [Her]story exhibition. Participants wrote a “Dear Me” letter to their future selves after being inspired by the remarkable women in the exhibit. We announced winners in April.

March events included a Meet the Author Jr. with middle-grade author Sonia Antaki. Gabi Coatsworth sat down with Antaki to discuss the second installment in her Red Dove trilogy.

The Library’s St. Patrick’s Day tradition continued on March 6 with the Lenihan School

of Irish Dance after a three-year absence. The troupe was scheduled and ready to perform in March of 2020, only days before the pandemic shutdown. Their spirited performance was a great way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day and a return to in-person programming. A favorite part of the show came when they pulled children out of the audience and taught them a few steps.

“Books and Bites” ran once a month through May. Children 6+ picked up snack ingredients at the Library prior to an online session where we combined a story and a snack. Southport Congregational Preschool outreach continued in the spring of 2022. Student Zoe Laferriere led an after-school activity for children ages 4-10 in her “Let’s Make a Galaxy Jar” program.

In April Pequot Library hosted a celebration for Alias Anna, Susan Hood’s new middle-grade book co-authored with Greg Dawson, as part of the Meet the Author Jr. series. Patrons heard the true story of two sisters (ages 12 and 14) who were acclaimed piano prodigies in Ukraine when the Nazis invaded. The girls used their talent and their wits to outplay their enemies. Attendees were treated to live classical music at the start of the evening, performed by two sisters from Weston: Catherine and Emily Xie. The evening ended with a representative from Save the Children detailing various ways to support Ukraine.

Pequot Library’s annual Easter Egg Roll returned to the Great Lawn. Children relished coloring their eggs and using them in agecategory races. Crafts, games, and a photo op with the Easter Bunny kept everyone engaged.

As spring ended and summer began in 2022, the Library hosted a Meet the Author Jr. with David Opie, and Margie Stokley returned for another popular Graphic Novel Workshop. Miss Susan’s BYO Picnic, sponsored by Garden Catering and The Pantry, took place in early June, followed by the start of 2022’s Summer Reading Challenge and its focus on the outdoors and nature. In keeping with this theme, we held storytimes at Southport Park. Babes on a Blanket returned to the Great Lawn, as did the School of Rock and many other outdoor programs.

K-12 SCHOOL PROGRAMS Pequot Library continued to support schools, students, and educators in a variety of ways this past year. Thanks to the Renée B. Fisher Foundation, we offered our Books for Teachers program at our book sales, helping teachers working in underserved districts to stock their classroom libraries. Local students, meanwhile, have gained valuable work experience through internships with both staff members and the Library’s dedicated team of volunteers.

In addition to welcoming students from Bridgeport for tours of the Library, our staff also opened the building’s exhibition space to the students in Fairfield Schools for the District-wide Art Show in May and June. Over 700 people visited the Library to support the young, local artists whose work was displayed.

The Library also proudly partnered with Fairfield Ludlowe High School on its Chamber Music Concert, held in the historic auditorium in June.

An enthusiastic class of third-graders from the Columbus School in Bridgeport toured the [Her]story exhibition in April with Chief Librarian Christine Catallo and Special Collections Librarian Cecily Dyer.

The Children’s Library scheduled storytimes with Southport Congregational Preschool and Trinity Preschool.