A station in the “Bluey”-themed Exhibit Hall at the Greenwood Public Library lets visitors dress Bluey and her sister, Bingo, up with different props. The library is hosting Read Across America with Bluey from Monday to Friday, featuring storytimes, photo opportunities and activities built around the popular children’s TV show.
RYAN TRARES | DAILY JOURNAL
In the world of “Bluey,” the joy is in the play.
For children — and frankly many adults — who have been captivated by it, the cultural phenomenon is a celebration of the power of imagination. Bluey and her family weave the power of whimsy and playtime into their everyday lives, making their world, and the world of all of their fans, much more rich.
The same imagination that powers the show’s adventures also applies to reading.
The Greenwood Public Library is hoping to harness that spirit for a week of wackadoo fun. Read Across America with Bluey will feature special storytimes, meet-and-greets, games and more from Monday to Friday.
Kids and their parents can come to get the photographs taken with Bluey and Fable the Fox, the library’s mascot. Inside the Exhibit Hall, they can try out activities inspired by the show’s greatest hits.
Library organizers hope that pairing the wonder of Bluey with the delight of reading will only encourage more literacy within Johnson County.
“We focus on imaginative play in the children’s department anyway, so this a good fit for what we do,” said Valerie Holbrook, marketing specialist for Greenwood Public Library.
For the uninitiated, “Bluey” is a colorful cartoon from Australia following the day-to-day life of the titular blue heeler and her family — sister Bingo, mom Chilli and dad Bandit. Since it’s debut in 2018, the show has drawn accolades for not only stressing the importance of play for children, but also depicting a more realistic portrayal of life as a parent.
Kids love the show, but so do a legion of adult fans — including a number of Greenwood Public Library staff.
An opportunity to celebrate “Bluey” as library leaders were planning their annual Read Across America activities. Read Across America was created by the National Education Association to encourage literacy and reading. The year-round program focuses on motivating children and teens to read through events, partnerships, and reading resources.
Typically, Read Across America kicks off around Dr. Seuss’ birthday — March 2.
Local communities are free to celebrate Read Across America in a variety of ways. In Greenwood, organizers thought it would be exciting to meld the program with “Bluey.”
“We’ve done Read Across America the past couple of years, and we wanted to do something a little bit bigger,” Holbrook said. “We looked at things that were popular that would draw attention, and ‘Bluey’ has definitely been a very big thing among families, so we thought that might be a good fit to get people in and talk about reading.”
Organizers have arranged for a costumed Bluey to make special appearances throughout the Read Across America week, both during unique storytime experiences and for photo opportunities. Fable the Fox will be part of the storytimes as well.
The library will feature other drop-in activities inspired by “Bluey” as well. Stations will let kids and their parents play dress-up, as well as take part in some of the games Bluey and Bingo get into — choosing a creature to go into “Animal Dance Mode” or striking a pose with props such as the magic xylophone, Bob Bilby or Unicorse.
A photo booth is planned in the Exhibit Hall at the library, while different crafts will be featured in The Studio, the library’s maker-space.
“We’ve had a lot of fun with it,” Holbrook said. “We’ve loved brainstorming ideas. There is just so many ideas we’ve been able to pull from the show, we’ve had to even pull back a little bit — we can’t do everything.”
IF YOU GO
Read Across America with Bluey
What: A weeklong event encouraging reading featuring activities and events inspired by “Bluey,” the television show.
Where: Greenwood Public Library, 310 S. Meridian St.
When: Monday through Friday
Schedule
Special storytimes with Bluey and Fable the Fox
6 p.m. Tuesday
10 a.m. Wednesday
10 a.m. Thursday
Blue meet-and-greet appearances
11 a.m.-noon and 4:30-5:30 p.m. Monday
11 a.m.- noon and 6-7:30 p.m. Tuesday
10-11 a.m. and 4:30-5:30 p.m. Wednesday
10-11 a.m. and 4:30-5:30 p.m. Thursday
10-11 a.m. and 4-5 p.m. Friday
Information: greenwoodlibrary.us
