This year’s theme for Summer Reading is Tails and Tales. While I would have loved to have had a stuffed animal petting zoo, programs with live animals, and dozens of animal themed storytimes, it’s a weird year still, and no-touch, no-in-person rules are just the way things are right now.
Because we librarians like to steal with both hands, I’d like to freely volunteer what I’ve come up with for this year’s theme. Maybe you’ll be inspired!
The entrance to our children’s room became some giant jungle trees. I used brown kraft paper (you could also use paper bags), crumpled them up, and slap-dash painted darker brown in the creases. These “trees” were looped with twisted brown paper vines to which were stapled leaves cut out of two shades of green construction paper. The tree tops are two shades of Dollar Tree plastic table cloths cut into vines. I used one long strip of green bulletin board paper to tape the vines to, but if I had to do it again, it would be less tricky to do smaller strips. Hidden all around the trees are animal pictures cut out of discarded animal magazines like Zoobooks. We have a passive program scavenger hunt going on all summer for those animals. Kids who find them all get an animal sticker.
I stole the idea for a height chart from another library. Every ½ foot is marked from 2 feet to 8 feet with a different size animal. Families are encouraged to use this as a photo op, and to mark their child’s height. We’ll count the marks at the end of the summer for a passive program.
Another decoration that we’re using for interaction is a wall of quotes from classic animal stories. If people can figure out what those quotes have in common, they’re encouraged to tell us at the desk. No prize, but we’re counting ‘em anyway!
The adult programmer and I coordinated to develop themes for each month. June is birds, so I made a nest out of Spanish moss, and folded origami birds to hang up all over the circulation desk. I painted a poster board to mimic a tree top, and the nest is holding ¼ sheets advertising our various bird programs.
The Librarian Is on The Loose 
Very fun! Good job, everyone!