The characters inside the children's storybooks at Cleveland Public Library's East 131 Branch came outside to play, during an exciting summer event held Tuesday, August 3. The library presented a puppet parade which brought families and staff of the branch together for a celebration of reading.
The event began with a puppet distribution, influenced by the books "Whistle for Willie" by Ezra Jack Keats, "The Lorax" by Dr. Seuss, and "Pete the Cat" by Eric Litwin and James Dean.
The puppets were made by the children, parents and employees of the branch. The parade route lasted about 40 minutes and participants traveled north and south on East 131 Street.
Children's librarians sang aloud several books while parade participants joined in. The end of the parade featured a grab-and-go meals.
Cleveland Public Library has partnered with WKYC Studios in the past to raise awareness on the importance of reading and literacy. Together, both organizations worked on the Dicken Reads Initiative, focused on increasing literacy scores at Dickens while creating an environment of reading among students and their families.