The weekly story time at the Mansfield Public Library in Temple started up again on Friday, Sept. 16, after a summer break.
The program, which has been assisted with the support of an American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant the library received late last year, is now in its second year. On Friday, Mansfield Library Director Beth Crooker, who took over from Katherine Fedorka as director in 2020 during the COVID shutdown, read the book “Fletcher and the Falling Leaves,” a book about a young fox experiencing autumn for the first time. Crafts followed the reading.
“[The children] are so enthusiastic,” Crooker said. “The fun part about watching the kids do crafts is that you give them the same materials and everything they do ends up looking different.”
Friday’s song, sung by Crooker and the children, was “If You’re Happy and You Know It.” The craft involved making leaf people using cutouts of leaves and googly eyes, which Crooker says she has an affinity for.
Library Trustee Carter Sartell, who attended story time with her children, Willa, Christopher and Gemma, said she has been coming since moving to Temple.
“Beth does an amazing job,” she said. “We enjoy the library programing, and it gets us out.”
Cheryl Twedy also attended story time with her 3-year-old grandson Pedro, who was sporting a bright yellow NASCAR jacket with the Cheerios brand emblazoned across the front.
“We had heard good things about the program,” Twedy, who has another grandson who is 21 months, said. “We’ll definitely be coming back.”
The reading and crafts program did not exist prior to the pandemic, and Crooker said the ARPA grant has helped to purchase the picnic tables, seat cushions and beanbag chairs the program uses.
The group will meet Fridays at 10:30 a.m. through Dec. 9, with the exception of Nov. 11 and 25, and it will be be held outside until it becomes too cold. Older and younger siblings are welcome.