Best-selling Author Leads Storytime at Blissfield Library

It was an extra-special Storytime session at the Schultz-Holmes Memorial Library Wednesday, July 28.

Storytime was led by New York Times bestselling children’s book author, Deborah L. Diesen. Diesen.

The Midland native opened Storytime by talking to the audience about book covers, and how kids too young to read can tell a lot about a book from its cover. She help up a copy of her latest book, the Barefooted, Bad-tempered Baby Brigade, and asked the audience what they could tell about about the book.

“The babies look mean,” shouted one child in the audience.

Diesen read from her rhyming book, illustrated by Tracy Dockray. But it wasn’t just an ordinary book reading. She brought along two signs, one reading “We Won’t!” In the story, the revolting, bad-tempered babies chanted “We Won’t” when asked to do something by an adult. Everytime Diesen reached a point in the story where the babies protested, Diesen held up the sign, and the children in the audience yelled, “We Won’t!”

Before going on to the next book, Diesen led the audience through a numbers exercise and talked to children about other children’s books written by Michigan authors. The she led the kids through a foot-stomping, pouty-faced singing of “If You’re Pouty And You Know It,” which led neatly to her reading of the best-selling book, The Pout-Pout Fish, illustrated by Dan Hanna. The Pout-Pout Fish tells the tale of Mr. Fish, who spends his days with his fish-face stuck in a permanent pout.  Though his pals try to cheer him up, they have little success.  But as the story swims along, an unexpected friend arrives on the scene and helps Mr. Fish to discover that glum isn't really his destiny.

After reading the story to the group, Diesen told the children that she has her “pouty” days, herself. When she does, she likes to think of words to describe her mood, and before she knows it, she’s smiling.

Diesen’s stop at the Schultz-Holmes Memorial Library was made possible by a grant from Blissfield Manufacturing and the Farver Foundation.

For more information about the Schultz-Holmes Memorial Library and its programs, visit www.blissfieldlibrary.org. For more about author Deborah Diesen, visit www.deborahdiesen.com.