By Jody Suiter
Macksville Library Director
Special to the Tribune

Two energetic groups of Pre-Schoolers braved the cold temperatures for a two block trek to the Macksville City Library on Tuesday to be part of the Prickly Program.

The children were excited for the 2024 Kansas Reads to Pre-Schoolers program, which is celebrated each November as part of a statewide project through the State Library of Kansas to promote early literacy.

This year’s featured book was- How Do You Hug a Porcupine? written by Laurie Isop and illustrated by Gwen Millward. Thanks to a $275 grant from Midwest Energy, each student got to take home a bilingual copy of the book and more!

Students made porcupine cards that said “I QUILL ALWAYS ♥ YOU!” They colored in the words, glued in the inserts, added noses and googly eyes, and used a fork to paint quills on their porcupines.

Then it was time for Story Time! They learned some porcupine facts and learned how to hug a porcupine– be sure to ask a Preschooler (or come check out the book from the library!).

Kids also learned about the library’s 1,000 Books before Kindergarten program and the Mini-Mustang Wall of Fame. They had time to explore some games from activity bags, which are available for check-out with parental guidance.

Thanks to this grant, each student got to choose a new pair of gloves (they were SOOO happy!).

They also received a ‘porcupine’ bendy toy after tossing a bean bag into a basket.

The program ended with healthy snacks in a charcuterie porcupine tin. The kids’ favorite snacks were summer sausage and the marshmallows with yogurt melts. They were all excited to get to take an apple and cheese stick home.

Thanks to Mrs. Anderson, Mrs. Wolff, and high school helpers for helping us show these students that reading is FUN!

And, THANKS to Midwest Energy for promoting literacy and healthy communities.

To learn more about this or other local events, visit: Macksvillelibrary.com The schedule for Macksville’s Country Christmas (December 7) is on our online events calendar.