Mr Yipadee popping into Papamoa

Children’s entertainer Mr Yipadee will be performing to crowds like these at Papamoa Community Centre. Supplied photo.

Children, their parents, and anyone who likes ‘farty noises' will be keen to catch entertainer Mr Yipadee when he comes to Tauranga.

Dean O'Brien (aka Mr Yipadee) is a musician and songwriter who writes catchy tunes for kids, and he will be at the Papamoa Community Centre at 10.30am on Saturday, December 9.

'Mr Yipadee will get kids singing and dancing and there's a chance to play musical instruments,” says Penny Guy, from Tauranga City Libraries.

'We've organised the event because we love seeing children respond to books and songs.”

Mr Yipadee is promoting his new book and CD Jingle Bells Rudolph Smells, but children (and parents) might also know his other songs, including Nee Naw the little fire engine. The event is free, but parents are asked to register.

'There's limited space, so if people go to the library website they will be able to register their children's attendance.”

Every year Tauranga City Libraries also run reading programmes encouraging older children to read and review library books.

'While we want kids to relax and have fun in the summer holidays, we want part of their fun to be reading,” says Michelle Anderson, from Tauranga Library.

'Reading is like jogging – when you do it regularly you get more competent and confident. If over the holidays kids reduce their reading mileage they often return to school with lower reading levels than when they left. So we run programmes to give kids incentives and encouragement to keep up their reading.”

Children aged five to 10 years participating in the Summer Reading Programme receive incentive prizes for reporting-in to the library, where they talk about books they have read. Being able to retell a story is a good skill to build.

For kids going to Intermediate or College the Library runs Teen Mean Reads over Summer. Teens write reviews of their library books, and receive free books to keep.

Enrolment for the programmes starts at 9.30am on Friday, December 8. This will be one of the biggest Summer Reading Programmes the library has run, with spaces available for 780 children and 200 teens. If parents can't come in to one of the Tauranga City Libraries on Friday, they can ring on the day and ask for an enrolment pack to be put aside to be picked up at the weekend.

'Parents don't need to bring their children in on enrolment day. It's the parents who need to know the ins and outs of the programme – after all, they are the ones who have to bring the children into the library, and hunt under the sofa for the lost library book!” says Michelle.

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