By Khalida Sarwari
For as long as television has been around, it’s been the archnemesis of books. For decades, parents and teachers have hammered into children the message that the boob tube will only rot their brains while books will transport them to a land of imagination. But at a Saratoga Library event for kindergartners and their families, children’s author Matthew Gollub shared a different message.
Watching TV, Gollub said, helps younger kids learn new words. The trick is to turn on the subtitles so that they can absorb the vocabulary. This was one of several tips the storyteller shared in a mini-workshop on the impact and benefits of reading on children. More than 30 parents sat in on the workshop while their kindergarteners and preschoolers participated in an arts and crafts activity down the hall in the community room.
Earlier in the program, Gollub delivered an animated performance of his books, The Jazz Fly and Ten Oni Drummers. The children, sitting cross-legged on the floor, erupted into fits of giggling as Gollub made animal sounds during the stories, most of which contained such lessons as the importance of listening to one’s parents and being brave in the dark.
To add a multicultural flair to the evening, Gollub taught the kids how to count in Japanese and introduced his friend Kiki, a shy monkey puppet that spoke mostly in Spanish to the kids.
More than 210 people attended the Sept. 25 event. The library’s first VIP night was held in 2011. The purpose of the program, children’s librarian Rose Khoury said, is to educate parents about the importance of reading and literacy and expose children to resources in the library.
“The whole thing is to welcome them to the library so that lifelong learning can start,” Khoury said.
Ritu Rama, a Saratoga resident who brought her three girls to the event, said it was a fun evening for her whole family.
“We had a great experience,” she said. “The kids had a fantastic time.”
