This past Wednesday was truly a fun day for a lot of youngsters here in Liberal. As part of its Educational Outreach Program, Memorial Library hosted Kansas illustrator Brad Sneed. During the morning, Sneed gave presentations at both Garfield and Washington Elementary schools . The children enjoyed hearing about the illustration process and particularly liked seeing a sample of his work go from the sketch stage to the finished illustration.

Another fun part of the program was when pictures from a book which Sneed both authored and illustrated, Deputy Harvey and the Ant Cow Caper, were displayed for the students as he told the story.

Next Sneed did a little on-site illustrating. He showed the audience step by step how he drew Deputy Harvey, and then gave each school the signed sketch.

After journeying to some schools in nearby communities, Sneed returned to the library for an evening program for the students, staff, and parents of McKinley Elementary School .

When Library Director Kristen Becker contacted Sneed about coming to Memorial Library, she had the idea that many libraries and schools in Southwest Kansas would also enjoy seeing his presentation and made arrangements for that to take place. For nine days, Sneed hopscotched across our area visiting the communities of Scott City, Tribune, Syracuse, Montezuma, Ulysses, Elkhart, Kismet, and Plains, to name a few.

Telling his audiences the story of Deputy Harvey was both entertaining and educational. The story begins as ant residents of Ant Hill are in distress because someone (a suspected band of outlaw ladybugs) is rustling their herd of ant cows (aphids). Students learned from Sneed that aphids drink the sap of plants and produce a waste product called honey dew. Ants are often seen around aphids because they love the dew and will clean up after aphids to get it. The young people also learned that ladybugs eat aphids, so ants often protect the aphids. Another unique fact that even adults may not know is that ants are able to 'milk' aphids for the honey dew. They actually caress the back of the aphid and it excretes some of the dew. All of that information became an integral part of the story. Deputy Harvey hatches an unusual scheme to capture the rustlers and gets assistance from an unexpected source. This book is really a fun read, and the illustrations are outstanding.

Sneed's latest work is a favorite of staff at the library. Written by Carla Morris, The Boy Who Was Raised by Librarians is the story of a boy named Melvin with an insatiable appetite for information about a myriad of things. Three very unique reference librarians take an active role in his life and mold his future. It's fun to see the way Sneed portrays each of the librarians in a non-stereotypical fashion. He shared that this book is the only one of the 20 he has illustrated that was not returned to him by the publisher prior to going to print for changes.

The library would like to extend a special thanks to Days Inn for helping sponsor Brad Sneed's visit.

That program was the next to the last one in our Educational Outreach for the school year. On Friday, April 20, district second graders were treated to different birds of prey brought by Eagle Valley Raptors of Cheney, Kansas . Three area groups come together annually to sponsor an Earth Day program. Those groups include NRCS/SCCD, Liberal Parks and Recreation, and Memorial Library. Since this column is due prior to the actual program, it should be noted that the programs are always well received and the youngsters show their appreciation by using their best out-of-the-school manners. The Times is sure to produce an article or photo spread about this program in the near future.

Lots of information will soon be hitting the streets about our Summer Reading Program. This year's theme is "Get a Clue @ Your Library". Young people will be getting clues about all sorts of topics this summer. Registration begins May 29. Next month's column will feature highlights of planned events. If you have a young person who has not participated in the past, encourage participation this year. It promises to be a really fun time.

So come on in and check out some of Brad Sneed's beautifully illustrated books and read with your children, even before Summer Reading begins. See you at Memorial Library!