Free events for all ages are scheduled at Lorelei Books — beginning with a reading of the “Little Red Hen.”
Laura Weeks, the owner of the book store on Washington Street, said she chose this story because of its rhythmic cadence.
“Since the crowd is so young, stories have to be simple enough and repetitive enough to hold a preschooler’s attention,” she said.
“Little Red Hen,” which will be read by Ali Hopson, was made popular in the U.S. by Little Golden Books, a series of children’s books started in the 1940’s.
Weeks said she hopes parents who attend will remember the little folk tale, which teaches children to help friends.
The reading will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday.
In February, Weeks has planned what she is calling a “Fabulous Book-Love Mixer.”
“This is a group that celebrates the love of books,” she said.
Members from local book clubs participate using it as an opportunity to find out other book club recommendations and Valentine’s Day reads, Weeks said, and for those not familiar with Lorelei, the after hours event would be a great time to come in and check us out, she said.
The mixer is scheduled from 5 to 7 p.m. Feb. 11 and will include discounts, door prizes, and refreshments.
An evening of poetry with Julie Kane and Gail White is planned for March 22.
“I chose the pair because they both write in a light verse and they know each other,” Weeks said, and both women are accomplished poets and have published in literary journals.
Kane’s awards include a Fulbright Scholarship and an Academy of American Poets Prize. She was also awarded the Donald Justice Poetry Prize, for Jazz Funeral and won first prize in the Mademoiselle Magazine College Poetry Competition. She has just released Paper Bullets, a collection of humorous poems.
White is the author of Easy Marks, which was a finalist for the Poets’ Prize in 2008. She coedited the anthology The Muse Strikes Back, and is also the subject of Kane’s essay “Getting Serious About Gail White’s Light Verse.”
The poetry reading will begin at 5 p.m.
Weeks said book signing events are also planned in April, which will include Ashton Lee, the author of The Cherry Cola Book Club series and husband and wife authors, Wendelin Van Draanen and Mark Huntley Parsons.
For more information, call 601-634-8624.
Lorelei Books is an independent book store located at 1103 Washington St.