Books | Culture & Community | Arts & Culture | New Haven Free Public Library | Westville | Literacy
Top: The caged ladybugs waiting to be released Bottom: Sun Holland receiving a ladybug. Abiba Biao Photos.
Six-year-old Sun Holland extended her hand, unsure of what to expect from the tiny ladybug on the table. Equally wary, the ladybug slowly crawled onto her palm, as if to survey the scene. It was then Sun’s fear dissipated and a smile took over her face. There was nothing to be scared of after all.
She shook her arm and off it flew, making its new home in Mitchell Library’s community garden.
This was the scene Monday night at Mitchell Library’s annual ladybug release, part of the New Haven Free Public Library’s (NHFPL) Summer Learning Challenge. The challenge, which runs from June 1 to August 18, featured a kickoff event at each of the five branches across the city across the first week of June.
The Westville branch event garnered around 131 attendees, according to Mitchell Library Manager Marian Huggins.
“We're just really excited to kick off another fun summer reading,” said City Librarian Maria Bernhey. “This is what summer reading is all about. It's reading fun stories, hands-on exploration, lots of STEM activities, really just getting families involved to read 20 minutes each day.”
Mitchell Children’s Librarian Sarah Quigley seconded this message.
“You can read with your eyes, you can listen to an audiobook with your ears, a grown up or somebody else can read to you. All of those things are reading and we just want you to keep doing it, because it's fun!”
Theodora, Charlotte, Philippa, and Shiloh Anderholt.
Mom Charlotte Anderholt said she knew she had to bring her kids out to the ladybug festival, making it an annual tradition for the family.
“I just love that it is like for the whole neighborhood that like all ages, everyone's here. Everyone's welcome,” Anderholt said. “I love that the library does a huge variety of events, so it's not just all like ‘Let's read a book,’ even though that's the best, but also ‘Come and have a neighborhood party.’”
Recently Anderholt launched an “annual family challenge” to spark reading within her family. This year, she’s challenged family members to read 1,000 books, and keeps track on a paper chart. This year marks the second year the Anderholt family is embarking on that goal, hoping to reach it again.
For Anderholt, the key to inspiring reading amongst her kids begins by modeling the task, noting that children naturally emulate the behaviors of those around them.
“Anytime you're trying to do something without them, they will come and interrupt you and try to get you to do it with them,” she said. “Having it [reading] built into routines and rituals like bedtime or things like that helps too.”
That infectious joy of reading has rubbed off on her daughter Theodora, a sixth grader at Elm City Montessori School. Theodora said that she likes to read up on a variety of topics such as human rights and loves graphic novels. She's still working her way through chapter books.
“I don't really read a lot of chapter books. I'm currently reading the fourth one that I've read in my life,” she said.
Now, Theodora is eager to change that habit by looking for books that fit her interests and taking recommendations from her mom. She’s currently reading Free Period by Ali Terese and shouted out Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume and Snow & Rose by Emily Winfield Martin.
It wasn’t long until Theodora heard laughter, got up from beside her mom and headed towards a surprise reptilian guest, a tortoise strolling through the grass. It was great exercise and much-needed movement before she could get to her favorite part of the festival: eating popsicles and seeing the release of the ladybugs.
Eliza B. and her son Ashton.
For Eliza B. and her son Ashton, this was their first time attending the Ladybug festival. Soaking up the late afternoon rays of the sun Eliza and Ashton watched as kids chased bubbles and squealed with excitement.
“We read with each other right before bed, and the library is like a special treat,” she said. “We love coming here.”
Ashton, a first-grader at Edgewood Creative Thinking Through STEAM Magnet School, said that he reads mostly comic books, but couldn’t put a finger on one of his favorite books. He’s still in the exploratory stage, slowly molding his taste in literary genre.
“Now that he's a little older, he's starting to seek out the kinds of books he's interested in,” Eliza said, “so it might be like a Minecraft tutorial book or a comic book.”
In tow behind Sun was her mother, Valencia Holland, who also doubles as her homeschool instructor. The pair strolled for a bit before crouching down to look closely at a whiteboard, which detailed the lifecycle of a ladybug.
Holland’s quest to encourage Sun’s reading journey doesn’t stop at Mitchell. Holland plans on taking Sun to other events happening across the NHFPL branches and reading programs with the Institute of Reading Development, which partners with local universities such as Albertus Magnus College, the University of Bridgeport, and Goodwin College to provide literacy and tutoring lessons for kids Pre-K-12.
“I plan to keep reading to her even though school is supposed to be over with,” Holland said.
It’s this flexibility with homeschooling that Holland attributed to Sun’s growth. Through homeschooling, Holland is able to integrate lessons with ease and continue learning yearlong, breaking the notion that learning only takes place in classrooms.
“During a regular school year, they're at school all day, they come home, and [they’re] trying to fit everything else in. With homeschooling, you just kind of can keep going because it's not the structure of like, ‘Oh, they're sitting there for so many hours.’ It just can continue to flow easily.”
Of course, Bernhey and Quigley, couldn’t let guests leave without giving them popsicles on their way, a much needed refreshment to beat the summer heat.
“It’s what we love. We just love to spread the reading joy and hope that folks read all summer long,” Bernhey said.