Kids and parents can participate in some serious monkey business during today’s “Book Blast” at Colorado Mills outlet mall.
To promote the upcoming film “Curious George 2: Follow That Monkey,” out on DVD March 2, the event will include Curious George activities, gift bags, and of course, books.
The first 100 children to arrive will receive activity bags filled with Curious George coloring pages, monkey masks and stickers.
Later arrivals won’t miss out entirely. Jessica Hartman, Miss Colorado USA 2010, will be on hand to read the new Curious George adventure, “Follow That Monkey.” After the reading, Hartman will be available for a Q&A with the children, and then kids can head to the activity area for a Curious George-themed “magic paint palette” activity.
Plenty of other special guests and activities are also available during the event.
Courtney Carter, Miss Teen Colorado USA 2010, will read “SpongeBob Round Pants,” and “The Best Chef in Second Grade.” She will also be available after the readings for questions from the kids.
“The tie-in for the chef story is that kids can design their own apron,” says Carol Winiger, director of marketing for Colorado Mills. “They’ll each get little cloth aprons and fabric paints.”
Eric Stremel, a police officer with the Lakewood Police Department, also will participate in story time, as will a representative from the West Metro Fire Department.
Stremel will read “Charlie and the Caterpillar” and help lead the kids through the after-story activity of making caterpillars out of beads and pipe cleaners. And the fire department representative will take on “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie,” followed by cookies and milk with the kids.
The police officer and firefighter will arrive in uniform, ready to take lots of questions from curious kiddos. At past years’ events, these Q&A sessions have been quite popular, leading to inquiries about uniforms, years on the job and a few more pointed questions, as well.
“The kids usually start out asking questions like, ‘Is it fun to slide down the fire pole?’ ” Winiger says. “But then they get to questions like, ‘Have you ever been shot?’ or ‘Have you ever fallen off your ladder?’ So it goes from a purely professional slant to more of a professional hazards slant.”
Colorado Mills mall is at 4500 W. Colfax Ave., Lakewood. Today’s “Book Blast” is 2-4 p.m. The event is free and open to the public, but families are encouraged to bring new or gently used books to be donated to Barnum Elementary School.
