A telling tale

Young Chang

As Barbara Hanson read “Anastasia’s Christmas” aloud to a feisty crowd

on Friday, one of her audience members -- 2-year-old Sophia Cianfrani --

stood with her back to Hanson and played with a newly-acquired balloon.

Her cohorts paid about as much attention. Sure, 3-year-old Ariana

Kermani stood facing Hanson, but she also had a yellow balloon in her

hand and seemed to be looking more at her floatable friend than the book

being read.

Still, both their mothers continue to bring them to story time at

Borders Books, Music & Cafe at South Coast Plaza.

It doesn’t matter to the moms whether the girls understand what’s

being said or are even if they are listening, they say, because the

lessons learned at story time include more than just reading.

“It’s really been her first interaction with another adult figure,”

said Sophia’s mother, Brigid Cianfrani. “She’s learned new stories, new

finger plays, songs. She practices standing, sitting and following

directions.”

For anyone who’s ever wondered why mothers bring kids to public story

times at bookstores, libraries and schools, the answers lie in the

interaction.

Borders offers story times at 10 a.m. Wednesdays and at 10:15 a.m.

Fridays at 3333 Bear St. in Costa Mesa. Barnes & Noble Booksellers across

the way at the Metro Pointe holds them at 10:45 a.m. on Wednesdays at

901-B South Coast Drive.

Libraries also join in the interactive fun as the Newport Beach

Central Library holds story times at 10:30 a.m. Saturdays and at 7 p.m.

Mondays at 1000 Avocado Ave. For the evening sessions, children are

allowed to attend in pajamas.

The Costa Mesa Library even offers songs and finger puppet plays at 7

p.m. on Mondays at 1855 Park Ave.

Each venue offers its own version of a cozy, imaginative reading room.

At the Borders at South Coast Plaza, kids get to listen to books while

sitting on what looks like the universe itself. On wide, carpeted steps

stitched festively with planets and stars and other outer space objects,

children try to listen and participate in crafts with shelves of colorful

books in thebackdrop of their temporary world.

Younger siblings in strollers sit quietly and wide-eyed on the

outskirts, too young to know what’s going on and perhaps evenfascinated

by the sheer amount of noise and activity.

The parents listen and nod, often checking in on their child to make

sure they’re listening too.

“It’s a nice way for her to meet other kids and it’s an early exposure

that gets her to socialize with other kids,” said Ariana’s mother, Hedi

Kermani.

The storyteller even brought a stack of paper plates, stickers and a

handful of scissors to the group.

Between stories, Hanson led the children in a snowflake-making

activity that required they (or their parents) to fold up the plates into

halves (like tacos, she said), then into quarters (like pizza) and then

finally cut in shapes.

“Just like we all have different names and different hair colors, all

the snowflakes are different,” Hanson said when everyone had unfolded

their flakes.

She added that because it doesn’t snow in Costa Mesa, she was going to

take her snowflake home and prop it up on her windowsill.

“You just have to make it interesting enough for the kids,” Hanson

said.

When it comes to what does hold a child’s interest in books, having it

be fun is often said to be the key.

“I don’t think you can start too early to teach children to read,”

said Nancy Robison, a Newport Beach children’s book writer. “Children can

be read to from the minute they’re born. I have two new grandsons and

their parents have read to them everyday since they were a month old.”

Her 9-month-old grandchild has even started picking up books and

pretending to read.

“He looks at it and makes noises,” Robison said.

Cianfrani made almost the same point about her daughter Sophia. When

she picks up on patterns and the rhythm of words in the books read to

her, she often repeats them at home.

“And she thinks she’s reading,” the mother said.

Which proves that though Sophia spends much of her story time playing

with crafts and marveling at the man who passes out the balloons, the

skill of reading is still sinking in.

“The balloon man is a big hit,” Cianfrani said laughing. “My

daughter’s so fascinated by him.”