During March and April, libraries across  Wayne County will celebrate family literacy with the community read program: One Book, OWWL Kids. In its second year, the program will continue to highlight the importance of sharing books in early literacy development. Reading together develops vocabulary and comprehension, nurtures a love for reading, and can strengthen family and community bonds. 

This year’s One Book, OWWL Kids title is  Free to Be Elephant Me,  by Giles Andreae. 

  Sarah Matthews, Children’s Librarian at the Wadsworth Library in Geneseo who helped develop the program, explains why this book was selected. “Being ‘true to ourselves every day, and content with whoever we are’ is the message and challenge presented in Free to be Elephant Me. Our hope is that families across the OWWL Library System will take advantage of their local library’s One Book, OWWL Kids event in order to spark important conversations with children around self-esteem and individuality.”

Krystina Dippel, Children’s Librarian at Victor Farmington Library who worked alongside Matthews on this project, agreed. “Through reading and discussing this book, children will be able to identify the things that make them unique.”

Participating libraries will hold a special storytime that will include a read aloud of Free to Be Elephant Me and related activities. Each family will receive a copy of the book to keep. To learn more and find a list of One Book, OWWL Kids events, visit owwl.org/onebook.

The One Book, OWWL Kids program is sponsored by OWWL Library System Coordinated Outreach Services. OWWL Library System, headquartered in Canandaigua, supports library services and the 42 OWWL Libraries serving Ontario, Wayne, Wyoming, and Livingston Counties.