Animated storyteller entertains Libertyville students

Students laughed and interacted with storyteller Chris Fascione as he frenetically walked back and forth across the stage Wednesday at Copeland Manor School in Libertyville.

More than 400 students at the elementary school watched Fascione and his animated antics during his program "Bringing Literature to Life."

"I act out library books to encourage reading and promote literacy at schools and libraries," Fascione said. "The idea is to give the kids a visual representation of the story. If they like what they see, they may be more inclined to check that book out."

During his high-energy and fast-paced performance, Fascione used physical comedy to relate stories such as "Casey at the Bat" and "Watch Out for the Chicken Feet in Your Soup."

"The actor was really funny and I like how he changed his voices," second grader Alex Biggerstaff said after watching the program. "He talked about what was good about the books that he was playing and it made me want to go to the library."