The Buena Park Library Receives Grant for Multicultural Program "Telling Stories"

The Buena Park Library recently received a mini-grant from the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation for a multicultural family program called "Telling Stories". Families with children of all ages will have the opportunity to tell their story through art. All materials are provided, but families can bring in pictures and other mementos to make their story more personal.

“Telling Stories” will begin at 2:30 pm on Saturday, March 7, 2009, at the Buena Park Library. Participants are encouraged to sign up as space is limited and should plan to attend the four Saturday sessions in March. For more information or to sign up, please contact the Childrens Desk at 714.826.4100 x126.

This is a great way to bring parents and children together to teach them how to share their stories using art. Regardless of someone’s writing or English-speaking ability, they can use art to tell about their experiences. Each participant shares a story from his/her history and culture on a felt square. As the squares are sewn together, so are the lives of those who made them. “There will also be storytelling of folktales from different cultures so it’s a storytime and crafts for the WHOLE family,” according to Mary Ivelia, Childrens Specialist.

At the final class, the families all come together to sew the "Stories" to create a quilt or several mini-quilts that will be presented at the annual Childrens Art Festival in April 2009 at the Buena Park Recreation Center.

The Ezra Jack Keats Foundation is known for its pioneering support of bookmaking programs, portrait projects, book festivals, libraries, mural projects throughout all of the United States, as well as emerging authors and illustrators of children's books. For more information about the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation, please visit their website at www.ezra-jack-keats.org.

The Buena Park Library District is located at 7150 La Palma Ave, Buena Park, CA. The Library has over 6,000 visitors per week and lends out 500,000 books, DVDs, audiobooks and music CDs per year. For more information, please call the library at 714.826.4100 x125, or visit our virtual branch at www.buenaparklibrary.org. The Buena Park Library is open Monday through Thursday, 10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. and Friday and Saturday, 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.