Storytime for Little Ones Hits a High Note
The Art Gallery and Museum Theatre was filled with young people happily waiting to hear the famous story-teller. They had come on a field trip from the Explore and Learn Program at the YM/YWCA, College Daycare, and Northeast Daycare, along with other interested and energetic children from the community.
Tina Dolcetti, of the Moose Jaw Public Library, introduced Gary Barwin to the audience. As he adjusted his headset, his first words were “When I wear this microphone I feel like a pilot flying”, and we were off into the world of stories. “When we tell stories, where do they come from? Sometimes stories are what really happened, sometimes they are made-up, and sometimes they come from somewhere in between, like ‘I sat down for breakfast this morning and began to eat my cereal, when I noticed there was an elephant sitting across from me...’ he began. The young people joined in with ideas, and an adventure took shape. One story he read had been written for his two sons, Ryan and Aaron, who liked to play with worms. In the story, the pet worms, also two brothers, began a race. A few days later, the worms disappeared, and the boys spent the summer looking for them. The boys imagined a worm-life, and what they might be doing with all the neighbourhood creatures who came out at night. The boys spent the summer listening for the worms, just like birds do. They stomped on the ground, again like birds do, hoping the worms would resurface but their pets remained hidden. They drew maps of the neighbourhood and spoke to all their neighbours.
The first day of school, in September, it was raining, and on the way to school, Ryan and Aaron found their worms. In true humble worm fashion, neither worm brother would reveal which one had won the race. A story about the value of knowledge, humour and family. A good lesson for two competitive human brothers.