NEWPORT BEACH : Kids Check Out Library Storytelling

More than a dozen children sat wide-eyed Monday night as Barbara Klein, a professional storyteller, fascinated them with a few tales at the Central Library on Avocado Avenue.

There was the story about Kipper, a sorrowfully discontented dog who ventured out of his home to find a new place to sleep because he was fed up with his basket--not to mention the crummy old bone and blanket inside it.

Hours later, after trying to sleep in uncomfortable grass, on top of sinking lily pads and in dark holes, Kipper came to the realization that his basket was “the best place to sleep in the whole wide world.”

The moral: Be satisfied with what you’ve got. After learning this, the children sang, imitated the sounds that different animals make and played an identity game in which they stood up if they were wearing certain types of clothing.

The storytelling takes place every Monday night at 7, and the idea is to give children a place to go where they can hear stories told in a professional manner.

“I love to watch the children’s faces, the excitement and the surprise,” Klein said. “There’s nothing better than capturing their attention with some good games and some good stories.”

And there was nothing like hearing Klein read to the children, as she mesmerized even the parents.

Joy Faigan said she takes her son Harrison, 3, to the readings all the time because he lovesto read and participate in the fun.

“He can just sit for hours,” she said. “We read about a dozen stories a day.”