Children’s librarians Susie Bolland, Erin Streeter and Amy Mann invite children to sign up for the “Imagine Your Story” summer reading program at the Warsaw Community Public Library. Photo Provided

News Release 

WARSAW – Every summer, ninety-five percent of U.S. libraries offer summer reading programs. The Warsaw Community Public Library summer reading theme this year is “Imagine Your Story”, and incorporates many types of traditional literature, as well as new fantasy tales.

What is traditional literature? This genre includes fairy tales, folk tales, fables, legends, and myths. These tell stories of people, animals, or forces of nature, and show how the world works or how good triumphs over evil. Many stories were passed down orally for centuries. They have changed in small ways over time and with different cultures and settings, but some have been known in some form or another since civilization began.

Let’s focus on fairy tales for a bit. Although many children enjoy these stories, they were originally told and written for adults. Some were dark and disturbing. Our society has largely cleaned them up, with the help of Walt Disney and many children’s authors, and they have become well-loved yarns. Fairy tales are relatively short stories, and are great for young ones with limited attention spans. These stories have universal themes of love, family, and friendship, and some impart moral lessons. They have connections to our daily lives, which makes them great for family discussion.

WCPL has 540 entries in our virtual card catalog under the heading of “Cinderella”. These come in six different formats, from printed books to Blu-ray discs. Cinderella is portrayed as a ninja warrior, a cowgirl, and a penguin, among other things. She is presented in cartoon form, in beautifully painted illustrations, and as a live-action young lady. She is joined by many other characters in our collection, such as Goldilocks and the Three Bears in a chronicle by Erica S. Perl. Jon Scieszka has added to the menagerie with his “The True Story of the Three Little Pigs”, which brings a new perspective to the narrative. Come in and check out some fun items for your summer reading time. We’re open from 10-6 Monday through Friday and 10-2 on Saturdays.

Don’t forget, also, that the end of our summer reading program will be July 31. Get your books logged! We have options and prizes for children, teens, and adults. Small prizes will be handed out starting July 20, and drawing prizes will be available from August 3 until August 31. Visit us at 310 E. Main St. in Warsaw or at warsawlibrary.org.