Children at the Allied Drive Learning Center on Madison’s south side were treated to an afternoon of books, music, crafts, and treats through a University of Wisconsin – Madison library outreach program.

The “Allied Drive Story Hour” began last summer when the UW Water Resources Library launched the first of a series of story hour programs. The program has become a partnership between six other specialized campus libraries and the Madison School and Community Recreation (MSCR) Safe Haven Childcare Program.

On July 25, Water Resources Librarian JoAnn Savoy and other Aquatic Sciences Center staff hosted a frog-themed reading hour for 25 kindergarten and first-grade school children. Lynn Schneider, a graduate student at the School of Library and Information Studies who has been helping to coordinate the reading programs as a volunteer, read From Tadpole to Frog by Wendy Pfeffer, a story about the life cycle of frogs. Marsh Music by Marianne Berkes and Jump, Frog, Jump! by Robert Kalan were also featured.

The children enjoyed gummy frogs and Babcock ice cream while they crafted fly-catching frogs from green foam and party blowers. The afternoon wrapped up with gifts—a book and bookmark for each child.

Each month a different campus library hosts a reading hour with themes relating to their specialized topics. Last winter, staff at the Schwerdtfeger Library (Space Science and Engineering) talked to children about the science of snow, and the Data and Program Library Service held a story hour about numbers.

The Primate Center Library, Steenbock Memorial Library (Agriculture and Life Sciences), School of Library and Informational Studies Library,and the Center for Instructional Materials and Computing are also participating in the program.