By Donna Marie Calantog

ORLANDO,Fl- Education is an important part of a child’s development. Bookstores, like Barnes and Noble, hold regular children’s story-times that entertain as well as educate small children.

“Story-time promotes education because it helps children want to read more,” said Robin Rivers, “ It shows that there are fun books.”

Rivers, a student at Valencia Community College and a part-time employee, volunteers regularly to organize and perform in story time.

“We are interactive with the children. We like to ask them questions,” said Rivers, “Sometimes we ask them to read parts of the story, sometimes we read more than one.”

The typical age range for story-time is 4-7, but one exception was Briana Gwaltney and her 2-year old daughter, McKennia. This was the first time for the two, but they plan on coming again.

“It’s so important for my daughter to like books. She can’t read yet, but she still likes to be around the other kids,” said Gwaltney,” I want her to learn and still have fun.”

Another audience member, Madyson Bonner, age 6, enjoys going to Barnes and Noble regularly.

“I like it when they do funny voices,” said Bonner, “It makes me laugh. My mom always lets me pick out whatever book I want when its over to.”

These story-times occur several times a month in different Barnes and Noble locations around the city. Visit http://www.barnesandnoble.com for more information.