The West Fargo Public Library is adding 12 additional storytime sessions to the calendar this summer.

The library will host a second weekly session of the popular “Ready to Read Storytime,” intended for preschool-aged children and their parents, at 2:30 p.m. Mondays beginning June 12. This is in addition to their existing Wednesday morning session from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.

The library is encouraging families to choose only one session of “Ready to Read Storytime” to attend each week, to allow other families to share the experience.

The library is also adding a monthly “Teeter Tots Storytime” which is intended for children 18 months to two years who may be too young for Ready to Read Storytime but too old for the library’s Baby Boost Storytime. “Teeter Tots Storytime” will be held from 10:15 to 11 a.m. Thursdays June 15, July 20, and Aug. 17.

The library will continue to host one “Baby Boost Storytime” session each week from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Fridays through the summer.

“We have seen overwhelming interest in our storytimes over the last few years,” Sarah Davis, Children’s Services Librarian said. “We have seen attendance triple and more and more people keep coming.”

At times, the library has hosted more than 70 people at once in their children’s area for storytime, where Davis not only reads books aloud but also leads families in songs with actions, rhymes, crafts and organized play.

“Learning early literacy skills starts well before a child goes to school,” Davis said. “Our various storytimes help children develop early reading and social skills at various stages of development.”

The library will maintain this new schedule through August then revisit the schedule for the fall.

“We are hoping adding more sessions will allow more West Fargo families to get the full storytime experience and space out the crowds a little,” Davis said. “We are excited to see how it goes!”

Members of the public can find which storytime may be most appropriate for their family at westfargolibrary.org/storytime.