FOR KIDS : Stories Come Alive for Young

There’s a certain look, a glimmer of magic, that rolls across a child’s face when a storyteller picks up a book and begins the tale.

“I’ve seen my daughter grow. She’s developed a special interest in books, and her listening skills have definitely increased,” said Frances Wong of Canoga Park about her 5-year-old daughter’s exposure to storytelling.

Kimberly is one of hundreds of children who have attended story-time programs at Pages Books for Children and Young Adults in Tarzana since she was a toddler.

Pages regularly offers two programs--”Now I Am Two Storytimes” for 2-year-olds, on the first and third Wednesday of each month, and “Pages Saturday Storytimes” every week for 3- to 8-year-olds. The store also has parent/child workshops, author signings and mini-concerts.

“I’ve always wanted children to really connect with books. There’s just nothing greater than watching them take an interest in knowledge,” Pages owner Darlene Daniel said. “When I first opened the store, I couldn’t think of any better way to get kids involved than by storytelling.”

That was in 1983, and there wasn’t much in the way of children’s and young adults’ literature in the San Fernando Valley, Daniel said. Since then, as president of the Southern California Book Sellers Assn., Daniel has seen the children’s literature market flourish from about 14 independent stores in Southern California in the early ‘80s to nearly 40 today.

“As a former teacher, I knew there was so much more out there for children to read than what’s offered at general bookstores,” said Daniel, who taught high school history and English in Beverly Hills.

“I’ve been to a lot of different story times,” Wong said. “They read a book and that’s it. But Pages incorporates so much more. There’s music and finger games. And at the end of each story, the children do a craft. The art makes the books come alive in another dimension.”

The half-hour readings mix finger play with songs. Fifteen to 20 minutes of crafts follow each story. Materials are supplied by Pages and are usually related to the story’s theme, Daniel said. Storytellers are either members of Pages’ staff or free-lance artists, all with some musical and teaching backgrounds. “They are truly amazing,” said Wong, whose daughter began attending the activities when she was 2. “They really go the extra mile to make sure selections are age-appropriate. And you can tell how much they love books because it becomes infectious. There’s more reading and storytelling in lives because of it.”

This is the Saturday schedule for April and May:

April 13: “Calling All Cats ‘n’ Kittens.”

April 20: “My Dog,” stories about a boy’s best friend.

April 27: “Magic Adventures,” stories for imaginative minds.

May 4: (2 p.m.) Author reading with John Scieszka, “The True Story of the Three Little Pigs” and “The Frog Prince Continued.”

May 11: (2 p.m.) Illustrator Wendell Minor presents a program of nature and art from his latest collaboration with poet Diane Siebert, “Sierra.”

May 18: “Pigs on Parade.”

May 25: “On the Road Again--Stories About Cars and Trucks.”

“Now I Am Two Storytimes” for 2-year-olds is held at 10:30 a.m. the first and third Wednesday of the month, and “Pages Saturday Storytimes” for children 3 to 8 is held at 11 a.m. every Saturday at Pages Books for Children and Young Adults, 18399 Ventura Blvd., Tarzana . Admission is free. Call (818) 342-6657.