Sirena and the San Marcos Public Library kindle a lifelong love of reading
In a time of declining literacy rates among adults, being a lifelong reader is a key not only to success but to deep, personal fulfillment. Reading not only improves a person’s critical thinking skills, it also deepens empathy and broadens a sense of curiosity about the world.
Most people who profess to being lifelong readers will tell you that they acquired that love during childhood. Sometimes the love of books gets passed down from a parent or family member. Sometimes it’s a teacher who kindled that fire. And sometimes — especially here in San Marcos — it’s a mermaid.
With Sofia Lien-Martinez, it’s a magical combination of all of the above: Her mother, Anna Martinez, Jessica Mejia — Sirena, the indigenous mermaid — and the children's literacy program at the San Marcos Public Library. Lien-Martinez, who turned five on Valentine’s Day, reached a milestone many adults don’t even achieve by reading 1,000 books before kindergarten.
“Sirena’s program really engaged [Sofia] with the public library,” Martinez said. “[Mejia’s] such a wonderful advocate for our parents. She works so hard for under-served communities. I grew up economically disadvantaged, and one thing I had going for me was a love of reading. Books saved my life.”
For Martinez, “Sirenita y sus Amigos” and the library’s reading incentive program blended elements of reading and social interaction she felt would support her young reader’s development.
“I always promised that as soon as my kids were born, I would get them a library card,” Martinez said. “It was important to me so I wanted it to be important to them.”
Lien-Martinez’ reading journey began with that library card. Even though she was born three weeks before the pandemic started, Martinez began checking out books to share with her daughter in 2020. Then, once face-to-face programming resumed at the library, Martinez and Lien-Martinez were the first to walk into the children’s literacy classroom.
“I was asked if I felt safe to have my program back in person as long as we social distanced because the Library Children’s staff believed Sirena’s presence and ‘magic’ could influence families to come back to the library,” Mejia said. “Historically, ‘Sirena and Friends’ bilingual story-time was consistently filled with families since 2017. So I already had established repeat families, and they spread the word via text to others that did not have internet accessibility. That’s how Sirena and families teamwork to bring in more families that may have never been invited to our library.”
The community-building aspect of Sirena is a cornerstone to the program. According to Mejia, the library’s reading incentive program implemented by Sirena encourages families to participate in the process of reading — which includes reading or being read to — with a 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten.
Sofia Lien-Martinez took to the program with both eagerness and curiosity, soon sharing her love for reading with her younger brother, Rafael, as well. Martinez said that as a developing reader, Lien-Martinez has gone through several phases with regards to favorite genres.
“She’s pretty equal opportunity for books,” Martinez said. “She’s getting more into elementary school0aged books now. A lot of science ones grab her attention. There’s one about candy in science that she really enjoyed.”
Martinez, who now works with children through the nonprofit organization Communities In Schools, understands how vital it is to provide a print-rich environment to developing learners.
“The goal was that she become a lifelong learner and reader, engaged with the library for the rest of her life,” Martinez said. “I grew up here, and it is amazing… I went to the library so much as a child. Every Saturday afternoon. It was so big and beautiful and amazing. It was welcoming and free. It was warm in the winter; it was cool in the summer. Libraries are one of the few places in our society where you’re not expected to buy something or produce something. You can just exist. I work with students now, and there are a lot of kids who have learning disabilities. The library books, education, reading: That’s a straightforward path to better things.”
To celebrate Lien-Martinez’s achieve-ment of reading 1,000 books before kindergarten, Sirena and Friends held a ceremony to commemorate her success on Feb. 8. During the ceremony, Mejia and Lien-Martinez used beans, or frijolitos,
see 1,000
”Libraries are one of the few places in our society where you’re not expected to buy something or produce something. You can just exist.”
Anna Martinez, Sofia’s Mom to represent the number of books she had read.
“I used one thousand beans that I still had stored up from the pandemic,” Mejia said. “Each bean represented one book that Sofia read or was read from the library. It was a fantastic visual for the children and parents as we glued them onto our hearts that represented our love for books.”
After the beans were poured onto the craft tables, parents and children created Valentine’s- themed hearts to represent the lifelong gift of reading.
“Jessica, bless her, she was really excited about the achievement,” Martinez said. “I was bursting with excitement and pride. I wanted to showcase everything that Jessica is doing, as well as what the library is doing. Especially for young children and families. It is a lot. I am very thankful for that. I appreciate the library so much.”
This program year marks Sirena’s ninth year at SMPL and her 25th year serving family and children in social services.
Join Sirena each month for The Children’s Bilingual Story at the San Marcos Public Library. Each story hour will feature a take-home arts and craft project exploring meaningful traditions that engage children through the love of stories and reading.
The next “Sirenita y sus Amigos” Bilingual Story Hour is Saturday, April 8 at 10:30 a.m.
To learn more about Sirena and the SMPL literacy and engagement programs, visit sanmarcostx. libcal.com or call 512-393-8200.
A handmade heart crafted by young readers.
