Wednesday, April 24, 2024
Summer is here, and with the weather warming the Sea Cliff Village Library will be continuing its 20 year tradition of holding its children’s story time at the beach. On Wednesday, children’s program director Ann DiPietro once again brought the characters of numerous books to life for young children, their parents and even passersby.
Every week from 10 to 11 a.m. on Wednesday, DiPietro meets the children and their families down at Sea Cliff Beach for a theatrical performance of the stories of various picture books. DiPietro brings costumes and props to help make the story come alive for the many children, which include infants and those who are up to age six.
According to DiPietro, she always kicks off the summer story time by reading the old classic, “Strega Nona” by Tomie dePaola, first published in 1975. The distinctive picture book follows the story of Strega Nona, a friendly witch from Calabria in Southern Italy whose magic pasta pot causes some shenanigans in her village.
“Every week we read some sort of fairy tale, but we try to bring in Hempstead Harbor and the waters into the story,” DiPietro explained. “We tend to do stories that the kids already know, but we like to add a Sea Cliff touch to it.”
The program is now in its 20th year, and has been running since DiPietro became the library’s children’s program director back in 2002. Since then, almost two generations of children have gathered round and listened to the performances every Wednesday morning.
The worldwide pandemic has threatened many of the businesses you rely on every day, but don’t let it take away your source for local news. Now more than ever, we need your help to ensure nothing but the best in hyperlocal community journalism comes straight to you. Consider supporting the Herald with a small donation. It can be a one-time, or a monthly contribution, to help ensure we’re here through this crisis. To donate or for more information, click here.
Sponsored content
Other items that may interest you