Public health nurse plants nutritious tales at story time

"Together we pull hemlock branches from the salty ocean, heavy with herring eggs like tiny stars," Stacy Wynn read aloud. In the downstairs of the Pioneer Community Center last week, parents and children gathered as they do every Wednesday for Cathlamet Public Library story time.

As the County's Public Health Nurse, Wynn responds to a lot of local health needs. He runs the Wahkiakum County branch of Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), which aims to safeguard the health of low-income families who are at nutrition risk. Most of the program focuses on providing information and access to healthy foods, and it's why Wynn has shelves full of board books and paperbacks in his office.

"Fruit" and "Vegetables" cover the basic notion of eating well, but Wynn prefers stories like "The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and The Big Hungry Bear" or "Growing Vegetable Soup". At story time last week, he brought titles that told a story of where we get our foods.

Wynn began story time with "BARNYARD DANCE!" by Sandra Boynton, whose title hinted at fast-paced fun dappled with emphasized onomatopoeia.

He then led guests to the garden with two titles by Katherine Pryor: "Zora's Zucchini" and "Sylvia's Spinach". The latter was the story of a girl's ambitious plans for a zucchini garden that turns to overwhelm, as many a gardener can relate to. The cover features a smiling Zora nearly covered up by zucchini leaves.

"Zora dug big holes so the roots had room to grow," Wynn read. "She settled the plants snugly in the soil. She watered each one. 'That's going to be a lot of zucchini,' said her father. 'We'll eat it!' Zora promised."

In recognition of Native American Heritage Month, Wynn read "Berry Song" by Michaela Goade. This Caldecott Honor book celebrates a love of land and invited listeners to deepen their relationship with the places they live. The rhythm, narrative, and language were rich and well-received by the elementary audience.

Ms. Vicki, the librarian, rounded out story time with US Poet Laureate Joy Harjo's iconic poem "Remember". The paperback gleamed with beautiful imagery to match Harjo's stirring phrases.

When story time ended, Wynn handed out copies of "Zora' Zucchini" and "Sylvia's Spinach" and the families departed excitedly. The youngest of them buzzed emphatically, possibly animated by the twirling of farm animals. Or perhaps it was all that zucchini.

Story time at Cathlamet Public Library takes place every Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. from November through May. For more information, see the events section on their Facebook page or visit https://www.cathlamet.lib.wa.us/