Library branch dishes up chocolate info to kids
01.02.2007, 10:44
Their taste buds were colorblind, but their other senses were 20/20 as they soaked up information about a food that is both exotic and mundane.
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An intrepid dozen youngsters abandoned the computer tables Saturday at San Bernardino County Library's Barstow branch to take a short course in chocolate, and the reward was chocolate, chocolate, chocolate.
Ranging in age from 7 to 19, the kids read about chocolate, wrote poems about chocolate and tried to answer questions about chocolate.
And of course they got to sample chocolate - lots of it.
The answers were more enthusiastic than accurate, proving perhaps that chocolate is more inspirational than specific: "No. Willy Wonka is not a country."
The annual event is Al Potthoff's brainchild. The young-adult librarian named it Chocolate Fix, and this was Year 2.
It was billed as an event for teenagers, but Potthoff promised his young participants that he wasn't going to card anyone at his "no-host chocolate bar."
Potthoff tries to be creative with his monthly topics, and he puts a lot of emphasis on the summer reading program, offering rewards to get people to read and "know we are here."
The library branch is a surprising nexus for disparate groups: The local youngsters who come in and use the computers to play games, do homework and visit the popular Web site MySpace; and adult readers and travelers passing through who stop in to check their e-mail and make sure their hotel reservations are in effect.
Because of the huge interest in My- Space among young people and the fears of parents, Potthoff recently conducted a seminar on the Internet phenomenon. He was able to see how the young people are handling it. Some use MySpace wisely and with care, while others seem to have no comprehension of potential risks.
Concerning those colorblind taste buds, each child, without looking, was asked to identify the color of an M&M. None of the 12 was successful.