Quality Story Time : Book discussions for children and parents foster communication.

Memorial Day weekend is the gateway to summer fun and freedom for kids soon heading out of school. But how will they spend their free time?

Jody Fickes Shapiro, owner of Adventures for Kids in Ventura, recommends an activity that can open up communication between parents and kids--book-discussion groups for parents and kids that she has conducted at her store for the past six years.

Groups will begin in July for parents and their middle school and elementary students. Grandparents are welcome to participate as well.

“The concept is really to get kids and adults talking together--the books are a catalyst for discussion,” Shapiro said. “It’s a way to reach into the book and understand that you make connections with people--it gives kids practice for connecting with people in real life.”

She finds that the actions of a character may stimulate certain reactions and this in turn leads to a discussion about value systems. She will ask everyone which character they most relate to or whom they most admire and why--and the responses open up more dialogue. Everyone is respectful and gives each other equal attention, she said, and the kids are never discounted.

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While sports and other organized activities keep children occupied through the summer, Shapiro pointed out that parents aren’t actually playing soccer and Little League with their kids. Even if they coach, she sees that as more about expectations of performance than about sharing ideas.

“I think parents need to be in their kids’ lives and in their faces in constructive ways,” said Shapiro, who admits to being passionate about looking for ways to avoid the disassociation kids feel.

“Odd Ones Out,” for students entering grades six through eight and their parents, begins July 1 for three consecutive Thursdays. “What If?” for students entering grades three through five and their parents begins July 7 for three consecutive Wednesdays. All sessions run from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. The total cost of $17 includes the books.

Call 650-9688 for more information or to sign up.

Meanwhile, over at Crazy 4 Books in Moorpark, owner Ralph Nicolleti is also trying to fill a niche by conducting a summer reading program for a third year. His groups, however, don’t include parents, who he says may feel too taxed already to add another activity to their lives.

He wishes it were different and would like to see the combined concept work.

“Kids are hungry for attention and someone to listen,” Nicolleti said.

Students in his summer reading program select up to three books from a school-approved list during the summer, write book reports and get credit when they return to school in the fall.

He also has a book club for junior high and high school students who meet in his store once a month. In addition, he offers tutoring in reading comprehension, writing skills and math for students in grades one through eight.

For more information, contact Nicolleti at Crazy 4 Books, 530 New Los Angeles Ave., Suite 103, Moorpark, 529-0642.

HAPPENINGS

* Monday, 2:30 p.m. Hyla Cass will present a seminar based on her two books, “St. John’s Wort: Nature’s Blues Buster” and “Kava: Nature’s Answer to Stress, Anxiety and Insomnia.” Cass is an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at UCLA School of Medicine. She will appear with co-author Terrence McNally, a management consultant who hosts Free Forum on KPFK-FM (90.7). Local Hero, 254 E. Ojai Ave., Ojai, 646-3165.

* Tuesday, 7:30 p.m. James Thornton will sign his book, “A Field Guide to the Soul: A Down-to-Earth Handbook of Spiritual Practice.” Barnes & Noble, 160 S. Westlake Blvd., Thousand Oaks, 446-2820.

* Wednesday, 7 p.m. Syndicated columnist Joyce Sequichie Hifler will discuss and sign her new memoir, “When the Night Bird Sings.” A descendant of a family who traveled over the Trail of Tears, she is a recent inductee into the American Indian Hall of Fame. Borders, 125 W. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks, 497-8159.

* Friday, 1 p.m. Rosanne Savo leads an ongoing discussion group on “The Artist’s Way” by Julia Cameron. Borders, Thousand Oaks, 497-8159.

* Friday, 7 p.m. “The Giving Tree” and “Who Wants a Cheap Rhinosaurus?” by the late Shel Silverstein will be read. Barnes & Noble, Ventura, 339-9334.

* Saturday, 10:30 a.m. Storytime with Alexis O’Neill, author of “Loud Emily.” Barnes & Noble, 4735 Commons Way, Calabasas, (818) 222-0542.

* Saturday, 1 p.m. Harmonica workshop led by Bobby Joe Holman. Harmonicas are available for purchase or bring your own. Borders, Thousand Oaks, 497-8159.

* Saturday, 10:30 a.m., Maisy comes to story time. Barnes & Noble, Thousand Oaks, 446-2820.

* Saturday, 7 p.m. Pajamamania story time. Borders, Thousand Oaks, 497-8159.

Catch you next week.

Information about book signings, writers groups or publishing events can be faxed to Ann Shields at 647-5649.