Cottonwood library offers story time and reading club to youth

A GANDER AT THE GOATS:
Children at story time get a visit from Donna Robertson and her baby goats.

Animals of all shapes and sizes will be appearing each week at the Cottonwood Community Library.

This year's summer theme for Storytime, held each Wednesday from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., will be "Fun in the Sun with Animals."

Those families participating in last week's Storytime got a sneak peek of things to come when Donna Robertson brought a couple of her baby goats to visit the library. The children were treated to a visit on the library's back lawn with the goats, including an opportunity to feed the babies their bottle.

"This gives many of the children an opportunity to see different types of animals up close and personal, which many of them may not have otherwise," stated Gayle Harrington, Director of Library Services for the Cottonwood Community Library.

Upcoming visiting animals to the library include a horse, a miniature donkey, a vulture from Shasta County Wildlife Rescue, chickens and alpacas, to name a few. For a complete list of dates and times of each animal's visit, contact the Cottonwood Community Library at 347-4818.

Also happening this summer is the annual Summer Reading Club. Children from kindergarten through 8th grade are encouraged to come into the library with a parent or guardian and sign up for the free Summer Reading Club.

A record of time spent reading is kept by each participant in the program and prizes are awarded along the way for increments of time spent with a book.

Partnering with the library in this endeavor is Jake's Take-N-Bake Pizza in Cottonwood and Roger's Frosty, also of Cottonwood.

"It is a way for the school-aged children to keep up their reading skills during the summer, and a way to introduce them to some fun, light-hearted books that they can read for fun and pleasure," stated Harrington.