Spread Your Wings: Wings of Wonder Storytimes

Whatever Michigan weather throws our way, we believe that storytimes outside are inherently wonderful.

When remembering past Wings of Wonder storytimes, CPL Librarian Brad recalled: "I’ve done a lot of storytimes, but by far one of the most memorable was with 30 mph winds."

To be clear, most of our storytimes outside are done in spectacular weather. Sitting on the grass in the back of the library, basking in the sun, families can’t help but get excited when an Eric Carle book tells them to roar like a lion, and it reverberates into the sky.

There’s something about an outside storytime, too, that teaches you to pay attention. And not just to the story. The purrreeeek of a frog from the pond nearby. A bird flying overhead. Monarch butterflies lingering on milkweed in the Butterfly Garden.

"One time near the end of storytime, when I chose to read a giant, 3-foot-tall version of Eric Carle’s From Head to Toe, the wind suddenly picked up. A lot," Brad says. "I kept trying to turn the page, and it kept blowing right back. Again and again, the story went nowhere. Then, all my puppets and props and notes about songs I was going to sing blew off from the make-shift table I had set up, and patrons had to scurry to track them down for me before they blew away deep into the woods."

"In the end, I sung a few more songs that people barely heard and ended things slightly early. But, you know what? Families kept giggling anyway, and most stayed afterward to dance and chat in the wind," he recalls. "Because storytimes outside are just inherently wonderful."

Build early literacy skills through meaningful stories and connections. Join us for our Wings of Wonder Family Storytimes in our Butterfly Garden (ages 0-5) this summer:

• July 2, 10:00-10:30 AM
• July 10, 6:30-7:00 PM
• July 15, 10:00-10:30 AM
• July 23, 10:00-10:30 AM
• July 28, 10:00-10:30 AM
• August 6, 10:00-10:30 AM
• August 13, 6:30-7:00 PM

Make sure to bring your own blankets, sunscreen, bug spray and snacks. Please note that storytime will be 30 minutes and will not be followed by an open play time. In case of inclement weather, including high winds, storytime may be moved indoors to the Community Room.