The yearning for a story

Sari Mäkinen-Laitila is the director of
the children’s department at the
Seinäjoki Public Library-Provincial
Library. However, she is known as
‘Kirjava Inkkari’ (the ‘colorful Indian’)
when playing the role of book presenter.
The name, which originated
from a typographical error of ‘kirjavinkkari’
(one who presents books),
has become a part of her role in some
of the most interesting book presentations,
even with 13-16 year-old adolescents.

Mäkinen-Laitila, who has been giving
book presentations for roughly ten
years, has yet to run into ill-mannered
secondary school pupils. The teenagers
have been “quiet as church mice” when
books have been presented and excerpts
have been read to them. Mäkinen-
Laitila explains, “When someone
reads aloud, or tells a story, the listeners
develop a yearning for the story,
even though they might not be interested
in the book”.

Mäkinen-Laitila feels that high school
students are a challenge for book presenters,
because they have developed
preferences regarding their interests
and reading to a greater extent than
primary school pupils. Some children
have already become completely
estranged from reading, and the threshold
for reading may be high. Friends
also affect how students use their time
and their attitude towards books.
Mäkinen-Laitila says, “It’s challenging
in a positive way.”

What’s in the book basket?

When planning her book presentations
for secondary school students, an
abundance of various types of books
find their way to Sari Mäkinen-Laitila’s
book basket. She explains, “It is important
to feel a bit drawn to the book.
You have to like the book yourself to
make presenting it worthwhile.”

When choosing books, the different
genres of literature must be kept in
mind, as well as domestic and foreign
books and the viewpoints of both boys
and girls. In addition to different books
for teens, Mäkinen-Laitila always tries
to bring fairytales to the secondary
school. Why? She answers, “I’m
fighting against the tendency to associate
different genres of literature with
certain age groups.”

Fairytales are important, and there are
fairytales for people of all ages. For
example, Margaret Mahy’s fairytales,
Kari Hotakainen’s book of fairytales, or
Peter Bichsel’s children’s stories and
also folktales, especially ghost stories,
according to Mäkinen-Laitila, can
spark interest in secondary school
students.

Like fairytales, novels often elude target
group definitions. Walking the tightrope
between adulthood and childhood,
adolescents may be interested in
authors who write books suitable for
both teens and adults.

The ‘colorful Indian’s’ book basket
usually contains poetry also, children’s
poetry in particular. She explains,
“With difficult poetry, the reader may
not necessarily immediately find the
joy that you can find in children’s
poetry.” Fantasy in particular, as a
genre of literature, interests teens and
there are also comics included in the
book presenter’s book basket.

Feedback

Sari Mäkinen-Laitila doesn’t use any
special tricks or props when making
presentations to teens. “I introduce the
characters and setting of the book, and
then I read some important parts in
the book, parts which leave you with
the feeling that you have to read the
whole story.”

When presenting the books, she relies
on her own enthusiasm and her ability
to convey that enthusiasm to the listeners.
It has also given rise to enthusiastic
readers and productive discussions
with secondary school students.

Sirkka-Liisa Kankaanpää, teacher of
Finnish, history and literature at
Seinäjoki’s lower secondary, has had
good experiences of the book presentation
visits. She says, “The students’
desire to read books increased drastically
when Sari visited the eighth forms
last month. We practically had to draw
lots for the books she mentioned
because there were so many students
interested in them.”

According to Sirkka-Liisa Kankaanpää,
book presentations would be good for
all lower secondary forms, but the
eighth forms especially benefit from it.
“Seventh graders are still somewhat
affected by the enthusiasm for reading
they acquired in primary school, while
ninth graders have already developed
their preferences for reading. The
eighth forms, as a group, can still be
enticed to read.”

Theatrical book presentations

Literature and drama can also be productively
combined. Since 2002, the
group Next Libris has been touring
Finland with its ‘literature live’ performances
for primary school pupils,
lower secondary school and upper
secondary school students. The group
consists of three theatrical directors:
Siri Kolu, Marko Kokko and Raisa
Omaheimo. They are all passionate
readers of literature and present
Finnish literature in particular.

But how can drama and book presentations
be combined? Marko Kokko
explains, “In theatrical book presentations,
the reader’s venture into the
book is dramatized visually through
the main characters, who familiarize
themselves with the book. ‘Literature
live’ patches together the book excerpts
to be presented in fragmented drama
that is common in modern performances
- in the performance and the
selection of presented books progression
occurs, depending on the performance,
either following the plot or
according to a more open dramaturgy.”

‘Literature-live’ is intended to awaken
interest in books. This happens, in
part, through contradictions; the world
within the books and the frame story
of the main characters collide with one
another. Books that have been coined
classics can be approached in a contradictory
way, read from a post-modern
viewpoint. The basis of theatrical book
presentations per se is the same as it is
for regular presentations: to find some
hook, point or theme in the book,
which sparks the readers’ interest. In
theatrical book presentations, the
excerpt of text must also be presentable,
to work on stage.

Marko Kokko explains, “The excerpt
taken from the book being presented is
framed in a modern dramaturgical
performance. The text excerpt collides
with other texts, news, interesting
parallel texts or contradicting ones.
This is again part of the ideology; literature
is a network, a path or link leads
from one book to many others. Motivating
others to read is also a part of
making this network - when you find a
way to one book, it leads right to the
next possible worlds.”

The group’s method of presentation is
effective. Of the presented books, many
classics, which otherwise would have
been practically left untouched, have
become reading favourites for teens.
Next Libris also aims to revive
forgotten classics, for example books
with styles, which are in some way surprising,
and also books which meet the
increasing needs of schools’ curricula.

A theatrical presentation can be one
opportunity for book presenters in
libraries to develop rapport with young
readers, although, of course, the
method is fairly difficult and requires
that the presenter of the book have
acting skills. Marko Kokko suggests,
“Performing for lower secondary
school students is challenging for an
actor, but also provides exceptional
professional development. If you feel
you can do it, you are ready for performing
theatrical book presentations.”

Mervi Heikkilä

Library Director
Nurmo municipal library
mervi.heikkila@nurmo.fi

Translated by Turun Täyskäännös