We are pretty lucky here in Stratford to have both a bookstore and a public library. A poll taken by YouGov found that 40% of Americans did not read a book in 2025, while young adult readers read 13 books on average, compared to adults over the age of 29.
While our local library undergoes a small renovation next month, there are story-times and literacy events scheduled for this month. At Obodo Serendipity Books, we are hosting guest readers, our public servants, to share in the love of reading. Next week we will host Bryan, our local postman who delivers mail to the businesses in Paradise Green.
So far, this month, we’ve hosted our Stratford Fire Chief Atkinson, and Captain Burroughs, a Stratford Police Officer. Both have committed over twenty years of service to our community. Captain Burroughs brought a few colleagues with him for our story-time.
Our youngest readers were ages 1 month to 10 years old, and those who could ask questions had many for our fire chief and police officers. Their curiosity about the story even outweighed their love for the donuts and chocolate chip cookies that accompanied both story-times.
There are many, many reasons to read more books, especially for our youngest of readers. I have listed a few below, as shared by Boston Children’s Hospital.
- Better recognition of sounds and letters
- Knowledge of a wider range of vocabulary
- Increased listening skills
- A deeper understanding of how stories work
If you want to bring your children to story-time at the bookshop, Mayor David Chess and the Stratford EMS Director will be our guest readers on February 28th. Books help to strengthen minds, and communities.
