Our weekly Little Squirrels Storytimes have moved online! Since we can’t gather together at the moment, we asked some of our friends to record themselves reading a children’s story of their choosing and send it back to us. The responses so far have been great!
Our first virtual storytime was this past Saturday, March 28 featuring artist Elena Baydina, writer David W. Berner, and Wilco bassist John Stirratt. Get the family together and watch each individual story below! And be sure to tune in to the American Writers Museum on Facebook every Saturday at 10:30 am Central for more stories!
Elena Baydina
ELENA BAYDINA is an author and illustrator based in Chicago who has been working in elementary schools and teaching children for the last 4 years. She wrote Sandy’s Adventure with James Newman, himself an educator for the past 28 years. In their story, Sandy the Starfish is lost. This is a new and challenging experience for her. She doesn’t know how she will get back to her family in the ocean. During the course of the afternoon, Sandy tries many ways to travel back to the ocean, some with humorous results. She survives encounters with some known and some unfamiliar dangers before she gets home. How will she get home?
John Stirratt
JOHN STIRRATT is the bass player and a founding member of the legendary Chicago band Wilco. He read When You Love a Dog by M. H. Clark.
David W. Berner
DAVID W. BERNER is a memoirist, essayist, fiction writer, and journalist. His memoirs reflect on our collective relationships and how those experiences link us to the world we share. David’s stories are about fathers and sons, the redemptive power of road trips, travel, music, and the sage-like connections we share with pets. David was born in Pittsburgh, PA and now lives in the Chicago area. Along with his writing credentials, David has had a distinguished career as a broadcast journalist, reporting for the CBS Radio Network, WBBM Radio Chicago, and public radio outlets throughout the United States.