Celebrate Reading Month in March

March is Reading Month, and Ransom Library will be having lots of activities to celebrate.

First, we will be having two contests: a bookmark design competition and a library card registration raffle. The bookmark contest will run March 1-28. Winners will be announced on March 31. The prize is a Barnes and Noble gift card. The library card registration raffle is for all kids who get their first library card in the month of March. Their name will go into a drawing for a tote bag full of free books!

Folk and fairy tales will be celebrated this March. We will be having a reading event each week.

Family Reading Fun Night will kick off the celebration on March 1. Students from the Caffeine Teens advisory group will perform a reader's theatre production of the trickster tale "Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock." They will warm up the stage for storyteller Adam Mellema. According to the Michigan Humanities Council, "Tots and CEOs alike have embraced Adam's folktales, original works, and "spontaneous audience tales" around the country. In stories peppered with colorful characters, Adam shares his love for reading, self-expression, and imagination."

We will be announcing the winner of last month's Lego-building contest during this event.

The Friends of Ransom Library will host Dr. Seuss night on Tuesday, March 4.

This popular program is always a hit with young kids. Local celebrities will read a variety of Seuss tales in honor of the author's birthday. The Cat in the Hat himself will make an appearance, too!

Readers include: Plainwell Mayor Richard Brooks, Gilkey Elementary School principal Beth Green, Starr Elementary School principle Laurie Lanphear, Starr Elementary School physical education teacher Nancy Snyder, retired art teacher Jerry Vilenski and Plainwell City manager Eric Wilson. Former Ransom Library board member Shari Keckler will be the Cat in the Hat.

Thursday, March 12 marks the date of "Magical Tales," an evening celebrating the many fairy tales that have a whiff of magic about them, such as "Jack and the Beanstalk," "Cinderella" and more from 6:30-7:30 p.m. This program is recommended for ages 4-10.

On Friday, March 21, and Friday, March 28, (both at 4 p.m.) we will host From Book to Film. We will read a story aloud and then watch the movie that goes with it. March 21 is "A Boy, A Dog, and a Frog" by Mercer Mayer (ages 3-8) and March 28 is "Tales of Anansi the Spider" by Eric Kimmel.

March is not only reading month but also Women's History Month and Ransom will be celebrating on Monday, March 3, at 7 p.m. with a special presentation by hometown author and genealogy expert Sandy Stamm on "Famous Plainwell Femmes." Come hear the tales of Sophia Bush, Gretta Burchfield, Emma Madden and Amanda Ransom and find out why they were ahead of their time.