Peter Bess, youth services librarian at the Butler Public Library, reads to children Thursday at the Preschool Story Time. The preschool class and Toddler Story Time, for babies to children 3 years old, help children become interested in reading. The library runs the program during the summer, fall and winter.

Peter Bess, youth service librarian at the Butler Public Library, wants to instill a love of reading in the children who attend story time at Kid's Cove, the youth section of the library.

The reading groups are broken into toddler and preschool programs to suit the developmental stages of each group, Bess said. They're completely different from each other, he said.

Both programs are held from January through March and then again in September and October. Toddler Story Time, for babies through children 3 years old, is held at 10:30 a.m. Mondays through Wednesdays at Kid's Cove. Preschool Story Time, for children 4 to 6 years old, is held at 10:30 a.m. Thursdays and Fridays and at 1:30 p.m. Thursdays at Kid's Cove.

During June and July, Story Time is held in the library's basement. Toddlers meet at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday and preschool children meet at 10:30 a.m. Thursday.

Other programs serve elementary school children and teenagers.

This winter, the Wednesday morning toddler group is the library's largest, with about 16 to 18 children and their parents attending.It's a whirlwind 20 minutes of activity geared to keep toddlers' attention. Bess leads them in songs, rhymes, sound and movement, before and after he reads them a short story.“We do a lot of animal voices and motions. The idea is to get toddlers' motor skills going, reinforcing at a young age what their bodies can do.”Peter chooses books that are interactive, that require the children to give him feedback. That might be a version of the book “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” for example, which includes a song the children know.Parents can find other rhymes or songs to accompany children's books online, he said. YouTube, a popular website, features toddler songs.“You want parents reading books that they love to kids,” Bess said. “Let kids see you smiling — they'll associate reading with happiness.”Parents often use a relaxed voice when they're reading at home, he said, a cue to children that they can relax through reading, too.“It lets children know that they can relax by sitting down and flipping the pages,” he said, even though they aren't really reading.He suggests parents begin with a board book or bath book that a young child can play with until they learn how to care for a more traditional book.At Story Time, some children's first day can be overwhelming. They may not be comfortable with other adults and children.“It's very common the first few times for children to sit and watch,” Bess said.They might even re-enact rhymes at home and sing the songs they learned, but not participate during story time.Nevertheless, Bess said, he knows new children will be back if they are calm and he holds their attention.Eventually, new children latch onto a favorite rhyme or activity and become more comfortable in group settings, a skill that helps them to prepare for preschool or kindergarten, he said.

When children are between 4 and 6 years old, Story Time focuses on reading. Songs and rhymes are secondary to the stories Bess reads and to the craft that follows each reading period.“The difference between 4 years old and 6 years old is vast,” Bess said of the preschool Story Time group.While some children might not have had many opportunities to interact with other children away from their parents or caregivers, others feel the transition out of kindergarten isn't happening fast enough, he said.However, whether they attend preschool or kindergarten or not, most still enjoy being at home half the day, giving them the opportunity to attend Story Time.A common thread among the children is the enjoyment they get from working on crafts with their parent or caregiver, Bess said.The craft complements the theme of the stories he's read.“Kids learn best from their parents (or caregiver) at this age,” Bess said.Some children may not know how to hold scissors, he said. There's a higher chance that they'll remember how to cut and glue when their parents or caregiver teaches them.In addition, Bess is hopeful that his animated reading style rubs off on the adults who attend the program.“I hope I'm giving parents (and caregivers) an example of how to read to their kids,” he said.He hopes they'll use different voices when books have more than one character. He hopes they can laugh with their children while they read.“Children are learning it's OK to show enjoyment when they read,” he said.Bess also recommends that children be able to choose their own library books at this age.“I want coming to the library to be fun. I hope families will spend time if they have the time. Let a child read a book here, or let them walk around and look. Give them ownership (of Kid's Cove). It gives them a huge sense of satisfaction.”<B><I><U></B></U></I>