MULLICA HILL — Heather Marquette, Youth Services Coordinator at the Logan Branch of the Gloucester County Library System, has been awarded the Ezra Jack Keats Mini-Grant to fund an inventive program for students. She is one of only 64 teachers and librarians across 26 states who received a Mini-Grant this year.
To qualify for this award, an educator must apply to the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation with a proposal for a specific program designed to foster creative expression, working together and interaction with a diverse community.
Ezra Jack Keats at the Library was the program presented. Marquette featured a week long theme of programs based around Ezra’s books during October 17 – 21. The youngest group 0-3 was read the story One Red Sun, a counting book and then made their own counting books. The 3-5 year olds was read the story Maggie and the Pirate and painted and decorated their own treasure chests to keep something that is special to them in their own chest.
After school programs were also held during the week featuring the story Pet Show for ages 6-8. Children were then able to pick an animal piece of pottery to paint from Fahrenheit Ceramic Studio in Pitman and then pick them up after they return from being glazed and fired in the kiln. Erica Holck, the Center Square Art Teacher, focused her monthly Art at the Library program around Ezra’s works. A brief biography of Ezra’s life was read to the children and then they painted a winter’s day scene to represent the Caldecott winning book The Snowy Day.
A teen program will be held on Nov. 8 from 6 to 8 p.m. for ages 13-17 to paint a canvas based on the book Dreams.
