Naperville library plans Children's Book Week activities

Some people will do some pretty unusual things to convince kids to read.

And a lot of those folks are going to be gathered in one place this week as Naperville Public Library launches its annual Children's Book Week festivities.

The celebration opens today in conjunction with the dedication of a sculpture honoring "The Cat in the Hat," which has found a temporary home outside the downtown Nichols Library.

Over the course of the next several days, the city's three libraries will offer clowns, contests, raffles and more to help toddlers to third-graders discover -- or rediscover -- all the wonderful places books can take them.

Program coordinator Mary Bannon says the goal of the campaign, sponsored by the Children's Book Council, is "to get kids and their parents excited about the written word … that magical feeling."

Which is easy for Bannon to say because, despite all the hard work already behind her and all that still lies ahead, she's still not the one who's going to be wearing The Cat in the Hat jumpsuit.

Hats, cats and Elvis

Meet James Irwin, a children's librarian at Nichols.

He loves reading. He loves kids. He loves reading to kids.

When he sits down to share a story with youngsters in the children's department, he never hesitates to don one of those floppy Cat hats. Truth be told, it's kind of his trademark.

"I think it brings another dimension to my storytimes," he says. "It adds a fun element."

It also helps the kids relax and feel comfortable, he says, because they recognize the hat and the Dr. Seuss character it represents.

So when library leaders were looking for someone to dress as a full-blown Cat in the Hat for the sculpture dedication this afternoon, Irwin was as close to a logical choice as they could find.

You know: slip into the costume, greet the kids, hand out a few goodies.

Irwin says he got his first look at his outfit on Thursday and was just a wee bit surprised to find it's a one-piece suit. He was undeterred.

"It should be fun," he says.

Of course, the last guy to wear a one-piece jumpsuit and think it was fun was Elvis, only his suit had sequins and he was singing "Suspicious Minds" in Vegas instead of answering questions about Thing One and Thing Two at Nichols.

Still, when you care about kids and the importance of reading, sometimes you've got to be willing to step out of your comfort zone -- especially since you've already got the hat.

So how exactly will Irwin prepare to become The Cat?

"I'm not a method actor," he says. "I will just try to be myself."

Hey, it worked for Elvis.

A good gig

Speaking of Elvis, it turns out he has something in common with Children's Book Week: they both first gained fame in the 1950s and they're both still amazingly popular.

In Naperville, Bannon says, the annual program -- which traditionally is in November but will move to May beginning next year -- always draws droves of kids and their parents.

Better still, she says, "it gets kids in the habit of knowing the library is a fun place" and can open the wonders of reading up to a whole new audience.

Just take a look at this week's lengthy list of activities:

• Today: Pancakes the Clown performs at 1:30 p.m. at Naper Boulevard Library, 2035 S. Naper Blvd. Registration is required.

• Today: Dedication of the Naperville Century Walk's Cat in the Hat sculpture at 4 p.m. outside Nichols Library, 200 W. Jefferson Ave. The sculpture is on the Jackson Avenue side of the building.

The Cat eventually will be moved to a permanent home along the Riverwalk, but until then he's taken up a post near the entrance to the children's department.

"The library is sort of letting him stay with us for a while," Bannon says.

• Today: Me and My Shadow II at 7 p.m. at 95th Street Library, 3015 Cedar Glade Drive.

• Tuesday: The Cat in the Hat makes appearances at all three libraries. He'll be at 95th Street from 10 to 10:30 a.m.; at Naper Boulevard from 11:30 a.m. to noon; and at Nichols from 1 to 1:30 p.m.

• Wednesday: It's Pencil Day. Kids can go to the Children's Services desk in any of the three buildings, show their library card and receive a spiffy CBW pencil.

• Wednesday: Authors Richard and Mary Chamberlin will discuss their book "Mama Panya's Pancakes: A Village Talk From Kenya" at all three libraries. They'll be at Nichols at 1 p.m.; at 95th Street at 2:30 p.m.; and at Naper Boulevard at 3:30 p.m.

• Thursday: Pancakes the Clown performs at 1:30 p.m. at Nichols Library.

• Thursday: Kids can explore science through literature during the "Snap, Crackle & Pop" show at 3:30 p.m. at Naper Boulevard Library.

• Friday: Pancakes makes her last appearance at 1:30 p.m. at the 95th Street Library.

Throughout the week, the library will sponsor contests, raffles, "guessing jars" and more.

All in all, it's going to be a busy time for Bannon, Irwin and everybody else at the library who works hard every day to open children's minds to the joys of reading.

But come clean, Mary Bannon, what's the coolest part of the whole thing going to be?

"Hanging out with The Cat," she says. "That's a pretty good gig."