Tuesday the local library featured a special guest, Philip Melancon, whose antics delighted children of all ages.

The Fizz Boom Read program, ongoing at both libraries in Pearl River County, is a great way for children to become more interested in reading.

Melancon’s presentation included his own rendition of the story of Little Red Riding Hood. To keep the children engaged, knowing they were all familiar with the story, he intentionally changed up certain aspects. Substitutions included a meat eating giraffe instead of a wolf and ending the story with a cable man who not only saves the day, but marries the grandmother.

His method was accepted like adding vitamins to ice cream; the children gobbled it up.

After his short rendition of the European classic, he used musical instruments to perform songs for the kids.

Activities like these are great for keeping children not only entertained during the summer months, but also a great way to pique their interest in reading.

Reading is an important skill for everyone to build upon.

There is concern that modern technology and social media are getting in the way of becoming better readers. While using social media entails a certain level of reading, it’s not the type of reading most parents want their children engaged in.

Social media posts are many times laden with grammatical errors and the ever-growing use of unapproved abbreviations for everyday words.

In addition, reading a book involves much more than word recognition. To truly enjoy a book requires comprehension, another important reading skill.

Without comprehension, the children would not have known  there was never a meat-eating giraffe in Little Red Riding Hood. They would have taken Melancon’s rendition of the story as the correct one, instead of correcting him.

So entice your children to continue to read. They will not only begin to enjoy it, but will receive better grades in the coming school year.