LAURA ARCHAZKI-PACTER / Staff

Seyla Cohen, director of Temple Shalom Preschool, practices her puppetry skills with Janet Greenstein, a media specialist, in the new early childhood reading room.

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Preschoolers will enter a whole new level of imagination this year at Temple Shalom Preschool on Pine Ridge Road.

Located just inside the school’s entrance, the new early childhood reading room is like stepping into a storybook and being whisked away by characters of cherished childhood stories, such as “The Giving Tree,” by Shel Silverstein, with its foliage climbing up the walls. Soft blue cloud ceilings give way to Mother Goose flying by. A brightly colored stage beckons children to act out stories and skits for audience members.

“As a fundraiser, we will have apples with the childrens’ names, hanging from the tree,” says Seyla Cohen, director of Temple Shalom, who helped brainstorm the design of the room, along with media specialist Janet Greenstein and the Sisterhood of Temple Shalom.

The large, eight-foot-high Giving Tree centers this castle-themed children’s room, and is crafted entirely of cement, topped with silk leaves and intricate painting, designed by Beauty of Paint. Hadinger Carpet stylized green carpeting to look like grass for tots to sit and read quietly or participate in activities. Bookcases are framed by green trees, reminiscent of storybook settings young readers respond to with awe.

Cohen says the room will also be available for private parties for preschool and congregation members.

“We plan to bring in authors, actors and actresses to read to children and incorporate dramatic play into the readings,” Cohen says.

With a selection of more than 500 children’s books, organizers predict children will be enchanted to read. Characters, such as Queen Esther and Hamen, peer out from castle walls to remind children of the history of Jewish faith and the joyous holiday of Purim, which is celebrated in March. Hamen’s hat inspired a tasty holiday cookie, the hamatashen, which is usually filled with prunes, apricots or poppy seeds. Purim is equivalent to Halloween, and children dress up in costumes to celebrate this fun tradition of Judaism.

LAURA ARCHAZKI-PACTER / Staff

Janet Greenstein unwraps “This Old Man,” one of several new story-telling materials in the new Early Childhood Reading Room. The room was completely hand painted and carpeted to look like green grass in an imaginative paradise.

“They like to play the parts of princesses and dress up as kings,” says Janet Greenstein, of the children’s interactions with each other in acting out plays. She unwraps various puppets they will be using, including interactive classics such as “This Old Man” and “Mother Goose.”

More than 100 puppets will bring stories to life for teachers and children of the school in their new resource room.

“They will act out plays based on literature and use characters on felt boards for various role-playing,” says Greenstein.

Offering generous funding for the project was the Sisterhood of Temple Shalom, whom Cohen credits with the building of the new academic resource room.

“They held a wine and cheese auction, and an art auction, where parents bought art,” Cohen says of the fundraising.

The new room offers not only colorful fun, but education for people of all faiths, according to Greenstein.

“It’s for every denomination, and we teach about Jewish holidays and Shabot,” she says.

Temple Shalom Preschool is accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. The school is involved in a yearly renewal process and evaluation by a team of educators to ensure high academic standards are met for children’s learning.

Live plays and children’s stories will be read around the Giving Tree when the Reading Room opens its doors, Sept. 15.

“We also plan a grand opening with our congregation sometime in November,” says Cohen, who says she’s looking forward to sharing this room with many families at Temple Shalom.

To learn more about Temple Shalom Preschool, call 455-3227.