‘Call of the Wild' lures readers

Melessa Wiesehan remembers reading “The Call of the Wild” when she was a child.

“It’s one of my favorite books of all time,” she said of Jack London’s classic tale of the hardships and survival of a sled dog set against the harsh Alaskan frontier.

As head of youth services at the Jackson County Public Library in Seymour, Wiesehan was excited to find out that the book was chosen for this year’s The Big Read.

“It appeals to all ages,” she said. “A lot of people can appreciate the issues and the story.”

On Monday night, the library kicked off The Big Read with “Call of the Wild” activities and crafts. They also handed out free copies of the book.

Melissa Downey of Seymour and her three children, Abigail, 8, Madilyn, 5, and Eli, 2, were one of several families who visited the library to take part in the event.

They started off by making magnetic picture frames shaped like snow parkas.

“I like it because it’s fun,” Abi said of reading and participating in The Big Read.

Because “The Call of the Wild” is for slightly older readers, Abi and her siblings made sure to pick up books on Balto, which also are being made available as part of the program to encourage younger children to get involved.

Abi said she read the story of Balto on Monday in her reading book at school and really liked it.

“Balto was half wolf and he wasn’t supposed to be tame but he led a group of people across the ice and was a hero,” she said.

Downey said she was going to try to reread “Call of the Wild” for her part in The Big Read.

“I think it’s a great way to promote reading in the community for any and all ages,” she said. “And to get people in the community talking about it.”

For the next two months, all three library sites in Seymour, Medora and Crothersville will promote the book with a variety of free activities and events for children and adults, including book discussion groups, movies, storytimes, crafts and guest speakers.

This is the second year Jackson County Public Library has participated in The Big Read, which is made possible through a nearly $5,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts as well as $1,500 in matching funds from The Friends of the Library.

Michael Bailey of Seymour and his twin daughters McKayla and McKenzie, 7, followed blue dog tracks upstairs where they crafted an intricate snowflake out of construction paper.

“Anything to do with reading and the library, we try to get involved with,” Bailey said. “We come to every event, ever since they were two years old.”

Bailey said he and his wife have tried to instill a love of books in their children.

“They’ve always loved to read and be read to,” he said.

Flipping through her copy of a Balto book, McKenzie said she would probably read it Monday night at home.
“We read together every night,” Bailey said. “What do we read every night, girls?”

“The Bible,” McKayla said.

As for Bailey, he said he would be reading “The Call of the Wild” to set a good example for his girls.

“I think it’s great to get everyone involved in reading, and to get people to the library,” he said of The Big Read.

“Some people don’t even know where the library is, and that’s pretty sad, because we have such a great library for such a small town.”

Linda Kamman of Seymour stopped by a table set up in the children’s area and picked up a free reading guide and other supplemental materials to go along with “The Call of the Wild.” She said she planned to get her 12-year-old grandson Jackson Lentini to read the book too.

“I hope to get my grandson to read it with me,” she said. “I thought it would be something good for us to do together so we can talk about it.”

Kamman said when she heard about The Big Read, “I thought it sounded neat and it’s a good way to get people to read.”

Angie Cockerham of Seymour said she is grateful for the library and the many programs like The Big Read that it provides to the community.

She often brings her 3-year-old daughter Nevaeh to the library to check out books and movies and participate in storytime and crafts.

“With everything being free, I think more people should take advantage of what the library has to offer,” she said.

“It’s a really great resource for our community.”

For more information and to find a detailed list of upcoming activities, visit the library’s Web site at www.myjclibrary.org.