05/30/2026
Plant a Seed, Grow a Reader
by Krista Kugler, Children's Services Librarian
What would your garden look like if you could plant anything in it? Would you plant flowers that could change colors and patterns? Maybe your garden would grow random items like umbrellas or buttons. And, maybe you would plant unique plants, like a jelly bean bush! Take a moment and dream about what your garden would hold. Mine would be weed-free, have zero spiders or snakes, have tons of dragonflies, and contain a pickle vine. No, not a cucumber vine. My garden would have a pickle vine where I could pick a pickle and eat it right away without having to can it with garlic, dill, and brine. I would also have snapdragons of every color and grow unique rocks. As far as candy goes, I think a tree that could grow mint gum would be excellent. Also, in addition to regular worms, I wouldn’t mind sour gummy worms occasionally.
Does this sound a little fanciful? Earlier this month, I read the book “My Garden” by Kevin Henkes to groups of preschoolers. The story encourages imagination and shows a girl’s dream garden filled with flowers that never die, seashell plants, chocolate rabbits, and all the fun things mentioned at the beginning of my article. While reading, the children commented on the unusual garden features. They wondered if you could really grow a seashell, and thought a jelly bean bush was wild. Afterwards, we did an action rhyme pretending to be seeds that could grow into anything. We jumped up and shouted what we were. I heard things like sunflower, tree, carrot plant, but also toy plant, candy bush, and cheese tree. It was delightful to see their creativity in action.
I chose to read this book for my outreach visits, because this year our Summer Reading Program’s theme is, “Plant a Seed, Read.” During the month of May, youth library staff were busy visiting classrooms or hosting school visits at the Fergus Falls Public Library. We had 37 visits for preschool through 5th grade and distributed 2,500 bright green flyers with information about our Summer Reading Program. If classes visited us at the library, they participated in a scavenger hunt in the Children’s Area featuring fun facts about fruits, vegetables, and plants. For example, did you know an avocado used to be called an Alligator Pear, and corn cobs usually have 16 rows of corn? This is the third year we have done a scavenger hunt, and the students are always excited to see what we come up with. One day, I had 25 kids and parents do the scavenger hunt because they were curious about the different pictures!
Arielle mentioned our kickoff event in last week’s article, but as a reminder, Summer Reading officially begins on Monday, June 8 at 10am. Visit the library to enjoy ice cream or popsicles, draw with chalk, play outdoor games, answer our weekly trivia question, get your reading gameboard, and find the hidden mascots for a small treat. It is one of our favorite days of the year because of the energy, joy, and excitement at starting summer off at the library.
Summer Storytime will begin on Tuesday, June 16 and go through Thursday, July 30. There are three different weekly sessions, depending on the child’s age. Baby/Toddler Storytime (Ages 0-2) is Tuesday and Wednesday mornings from 9:30-10:00am, Preschool Storytime (Ages 3-5) is Tuesday and Wednesday mornings from 10:30-11:00am, and Evening Storytime (Ages 0-5) is Thursday nights from 6:00-6:30pm. For me, Summer Storytime is going to be extra special this year because my nephew and sister-in-law are planning to attend!
I am also leading two other programs this summer. The first is a book club for children entering 2nd and 3rd grade called Lunch Bunch Jr. Kids can bring their lunch to the library on Wednesdays in June and July and listen to me read from a chapter book each week. This year’s book, “Finding Home” by Beth Ferry, is a tale about a goldfish, a spider, and two plants who walk into a magical mess…and have to fix it. What could possibly go wrong? Participants will get their own copy of the book to read and take home at the end of the program. The second is a program called Craft & Create. This is for children entering Kindergarten through 3rd grade. Participants will create their own tic-tac-toe game with rocks and acrylic pens, as well as a stick maraca made by stringing beads on a stick and decorating it with yarn. Children will be able to take home both of these crafts.
For more information and registration links, please visit our website or page. Come “Plant a Seed, Read” with us at the Fergus Library this summer. Together, let’s grow a community of readers!
