Cool Drinks And Cool Stories

Margaret Brown, C.H. Booth young adult librarian, invites all Newtown students entering grades 6-12 in the fall to the kickoff for the Teen Summer Reading Challenge. The special event will run from 3 to 5 pm on Monday, June 27.

“Relax and beat the heat with a delicious fruit smoothie, then settle back and listen to acclaimed African storyteller Eshu Bumpus and Brazilian percussionist Ricardo Frota headline this year’s kickoff program,” said Ms Brown.

Eshu Bumpus tells a variety of African, African American, and world folktales leavened with music, humor, and mystery. He is a renowned storyteller, an accomplished jazz vocalist, and a master at physical characterization. Mr Bumpus is one of the favorites at the annual Connecticut Storytelling Festival, Ms Brown said. To date, this artist has presented programs in 18 different states across America, including performances at the Smithsonian and other well-known venues.

Ricardo Frota brings a wealth of drumming and musical passion to accompany the folktales. A graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music, he has created Ecology of Sound, a music/sound experience of the spirit of creativity living within us. He highlights the use of traditional and invented rhythm instruments in his performances.

Full details will also be available during the June 27 program for the Teen Summer Reading Challenge 2011. The grand prize for this year’s challenge is an Amazon Kindle.

Also, selection of gently used teen books will be offered for sale before the program. 

Due to space limitations, Ms Brown urges young people to sign up quickly for the event, online, at www.CHBoothLibrary.org.