Storytime with Professor Watermelon

Professor Watermelon brings another session of Storytime with Professor Watermelon to the West Perry Branch on Thursday, November 12, from 10:30 to 11:15 AM. It's a storytime for preschoolers aged 2 to 6 and their caregivers, and the whole thing is built around a simple, concrete idea: apples, cinnamon, and maple syrup all come from trees, and people, animals, and insects depend on them for food and shelter.

That's the thread the session pulls on—how much of our lives, and the lives of the creatures around us, actually start with a tree. It's the kind of thing that's easy for a four-year-old to grasp: the fruit they eat, the syrup on their pancakes, and the nests and burrows that animals call home. The session is designed for that 2-to-6 age range, so it's meant to be read aloud with the kids and their grown-ups together.

The session is made possible by the Everwise Foundation through gifts to The Indianapolis Public Library Foundation. It's part of the library's broader children's programming, and it's free to attend.

The West Perry Branch, which opened in 2021, fills a service gap in the growing Perry Township community on Indy's south side. It's a 24,000-square-foot library that serves a diverse immigrant population, with materials in Spanish and children's Burmese alongside a children's and teen zone, a community meeting room, a fireplace, and an outdoor patio. You'll find it at 6650 S Harding St, Indianapolis, IN 46217. Storytime runs from 10:30 to 11:15 AM on Thursday, November 12.