FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM SEPTEMBER 26, 2019 • BUZZ • THE QUEENS COURIER 59
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Courtesy of Queens Public Library
Whitestone Librarian Susan Scatena performs “Caps for Sale” by Esphyr Slobodkina to children from the Whitestone Reading Club who completed the challenge of reading 2,000 books over the summer.
Whitestone librarian continues special tradition
for kids who achieved summer reading goal
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
cmohamed@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Whitestone librarian Susan Scatena’s
annual themed performances have
become a beloved tradition at the library,
encouraging children to read and explore
the world.
Every year since 2006, Scatena — who
has a profound love for reading — has
challenged an average of 300 children
in the Whitestone Reading Club to read
at least 2,000 books over the summer. If
they reach the goal, she does something
special for them, oft en drawing inspiration
for her stunts from well-known children’s
books.
“I wanted to get the kids to read and I
remember talking to one of the children’s
supervisors and said, ‘How could we get
kids to read?’” Scatena said. “I would do
anything to get kids to read. I would sit in
Jell-O if it got kids to read and that was
my fi rst challenge. I challenged the kids
to read 2,000 books and they did and I
sat in Jell-O on the front steps, while a
kid sprayed my hair purple.”
On Aug. 16, Scatena’s team congratulated
159 kids for completing the challenge
of reading 2,800 books over the summer
at the Whitestone Branch Queens
Library, located at 151-10 14th Rd. Th is
year, Scatena’s special performance
included children dressed as monkeys
taking caps off her head as her team read
“Caps for Sale” by Esphyr Slobodkina.
“It had to be a book that the kids are
familiar with that lends itself to a performance,”
Scatena said. “Th ey always
ask me year round what am I going to
do next.”
In the past year, Scatena’s acts included
sitting in a tub full of spaghetti covered
with sauce, reading a bedtime story to a
real bunny in her pajamas, and doing the
chicken dance while dressed in a chicken
costume. She has also kissed a frog, held
a 14-foot Burmese python, and morphed
from a caterpillar into a butterfl y.
“I have two big 3-gallon jars on the
desk next to me and every time they read
a book they get a poker chip to put in the
jar. Th ey like seeing who’s reading more,
the girls or the boys. It gives them a little
incentive to read more and gets them
into the library,” Scatena said.
Scatena, who joined the Whitestone
library in February 2002, said the importance
of reading helps to expand children’s
imaginations, travel to diff erent
places, and learn things that they haven’t
learned before.
“Th ey have to learn there are other
places outside of Whitestone — like
France, Canada, Mexico, about Africa,
to learn about all of these diff erent places
so they can fi gure out what’s going to
happen to them when they’re 20 years
old,” Scatena said. “Th ey’ll have to pick
a career, they have to be able to use
their imagination in everything. It’s very
important.”
Scatena said she hopes to continue the
tradition for as long as she can.
“I’m always trying to think of something
to do. I talk to kids and someone
suggested being sprayed with silly string,
which was done during the third year of
the performance,” Scatena said. “It has to
be safe, not cost too much money, and we
do it on the steps of the library. If anyone
has a suggestion of what they would like
for me to do, let me know.”
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