By Mike Lauterborn
(for Fairfield Citizen
News)
3/7/12
Fairfield, CT – Fairfield Woods Branch Library was overrun
with rats Wednesday afternoon as teens took paintbrushes in hand to boldly
decorate rubber rodents in celebration of the townwide One Book One Town
program.
The OBOT program spotlights Allan Wolf’s “The Watch That
Ends the Night”, about the sinking of the Titanic and featuring the voices of
various crew and people aboard. Among the voices is a Ship Rat, who doesn’t so
much speak as skitter about and explore. Wednesday’s “Rat Parade” workshop at
the 1147 Fairfield Woods Road site recognized the lowly rat and allowed teens
to exercise some creative expression.
Gathered at tables in the Library’s Down Under Teen space,
young people in grades 7 to 12 worked with colorful blobs of paint to colorize
the rats. Teens being teens, they chattered, gossiped and tapped away at their
iPhones while working on the projects. One teen even summoned up “Colors of the
Wind”, the theme song from the film “Pocahontas”, on her electronic device, as
well as the theme song from “Titanic”, as appropriate background music.
“Plan your rat design before you begin painting,” advised
Teen Librarian Jennifer Laseman, at the outset of the activity. Teens heeded
her guidance, adopting their own unique approaches.
“I’m an anglophile and love all things British, so I chose
the Union Jack as my rat pattern,” said Katie Stepsis, 14, of Fairfield.
“I’m doing a gay pride rat,” said Indiana Whiteman,
“promoting equality for all – something completely different.”
Working busily on her rat, Meghan Saladino, 15, said, “I
like abstract things and I draw, so my rat reflects that.”
According to Wolff’s book, there actually were rats aboard
the Titanic. They regularly gained passage via the mooring lines or hidden in
food stores or other cargo.
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