Children took more out of the usual storytime at Madera County Library on Thursday as they created art based on a tale during two free watercolor workshops.
Taught by watercolor artist Kathryn Holmes, a resident of Las Cruces, N.M., the workshops drew nearly 50 children and their parents to the Blanche Galloway Room of the library.
Those aged 4 to 8 attended in the morning, while kids 9 to 14 years old showed up in the afternoon. Both groups read “The Big Orange Splot” by Daniel Pinkwater. The picture book tells the story of a resident in a neighborhood who defied an established norm by painting his house in a wild and extravagant way to “resemble his dreams.”
“The story is written for children but, like many things, it has an underlying theme. The theme is that not everybody has to be the same, we can be different,” said Holmes, a retired early childhood teacher...