Check out the Fall 2011 and Spring 2012 Schedule!

Family Adventures in Reading (FAIR) is a humanities-based reading and discussion program for children and their parents or other primary care givers (e.g., grandparents, foster parents, etc.), currently being offered in collaboration with the public library systems of Springfield and New Bedford.

Inspired by the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities' acclaimed program Prime Time Family Reading Time®, FAIR brings children and adults together to enjoy entertaining and thought-provoking presentations of outstanding picture books, and to share and reflect upon their responses to the stories.

By modeling expressive storytelling and introducing the pleasures and rewards of exploring ideas, the program encourages parents to read to their children at home and to make visiting the library a regular family activity. Each 90-minute session includes an engaging interactive presentation by a professional storyteller, followed by a brief, lively introduction to some aspect of library services, and concludes with socializing over light refreshments.

The books, selected for their artistic excellence and narrative appeal, draw on a variety of cultural traditions, including those that predominate in the neighborhoods where the program is offered. The stories lend themselves to exploration of character-building concepts such as courage, fairness, and persistence.

Parents and children and other family members learn from one another's different perspectives, and discussions are often enriched by parents' sharing of stories from their own family histories.

Participating libraries provide the meeting space and the services of their librarians, who recruit families in collaboration with various other community agencies. Mass Humanities recruits and hires the storytellers and provides the books.

FAIR:

• Provides a rich experience of reading and sharing of ideas that brings families together,
• Provides an opportunity for parents and children to think critically and discuss moral issues, and
• Encourages people of all ages to enjoy and benefit from the resources of their public libraries.

Public libraries in other Massachusetts cities and towns interested in offering FAIR to their communities are encouraged to contact Mass Humanities Senior Program Officer Hayley Wood for more information.

FAIR is made possible by the generous support of the Beveridge Family Foundation, the CHT Foundation, the Irene E. and George A. Davis Foundation, The Edith Glick Shoolman Children's Foundation, and the Staples Foundation for Learning.