Kitchener-Waterloo·Video

What do pink ponies and summer reading have in common? Waterloo Public Library has the answer

The Waterloo Public Library is encouraging young readers to join their summer reading club and part of their efforts includes creating a paraody of the Chappell Roan song Pink Pony Club.

Grace Carruthers says it was 'such a joy' to sing and dance around the library

Waterloo Public Library wants to inspire kids to read with new Chappell Roan cover

15 hours ago
Duration 1:50
It can be hard to get kids off their screens and reading books during summer vacation. But the Waterloo Public Library is hoping to encourage kids to do just that with a song, created and sung by library programmer Grace Carruthers. She turned Chappell Roan's Pink Pony Club into a song about the library's summer reading club. Carruthers spoke to CBC K-W about what inspired her to write the reading-inspired parody.

The siren song of screens can be a hard one for young people to break during summer vacation, but a programmer at the Waterloo Public Library is hoping that, with the help of Chappell Roan, she can do just that.

Grace Carruthers reworked the lyrics to Roan's hit song Pink Pony Club to make it all about summer reading.

For example, the lyric, "God, what have you done? You're a pink pony girl and you dance at the club" became, "We'll travel the world, one page at a time, when you visit the library."

Carruthers says she was inspired by "a love of Chappell Roan and a love of literacy."

"For several years the Waterloo Public Library has done an anthem to celebrate the start of the summer reading club and this year it fell on me. I was lucky enough to get to do it and so I did some very quick word association between summer reading club and Pink Pony Club and what what you see is the result," she said. 

A woman singing and dancing in a library
Grace Carruthers of the Waterloo Public Library reworked the lyrics to the song Pink Pony Club to be about the library's summer reading club and made a music video to encourage young readers to sign up. (Waterloo Public Library/YouTube)

Carruthers didn't just do one verse and the chorus. She reworked the entire song and made a music video, too.

"We got to rope in several of the staff to participate, which was so much fun. Even Youniece the Unicorn made an appearance, which is always a good time," Carruthers said.

"To be able to dance around the library in a fringy outfit in a space that so many people think is quiet and reserved was just such a joy for me."

WATCH | Waterloo Public Library's video for their summer reading club featuring Grace Carruthers:

Summer reading helps halt summer slide

While the video and song are a lot of fun, the reason behind it is a serious one, says Cathleen Getchell, who is the library's programs and partnerships supervisor.

Getchell says the summer reading slide is real and programs like summer reading clubs aim to curb it.

"There's evidence that over those two months of summer break that some of our learning regresses. So this is really to keep kids reading, and not just for school, but for fun," she said, adding she wants to foster a "love of literacy, this love of reading."

Looking over shoulder of child sitting cross-legged reading a book. An illustration shows a dragon and a young princess wearing a paper bag.
All local libraries have summer reading clubs that are free and meant to help slow the so-called summer slide, when learning decreases as students aren't in school. (Kate Bueckert/CBC)

Scholastic, a Canadian publisher and distributor of children's books and educational materials, released the Kids and Family Reading Report Canadian Edition in 2017 that focused on summer reading.

The survey of 1,939 parents and children found only 31 per cent of parents at that time were aware of the "summer slide" although it also found 84 per cent of the children aged six to 17 who were surveyed agreed that reading books during the summer would help them in the fall when they returned to school.

Goal is to help young readers 'go on adventures'

Getchell says everyone at the library is thrilled with the work Carruthers did on the song and video.

"It was just incredible. So what I had hoped is that, in a fun way that, it would get news about summer reading club out to the kids and bring them in to pick their favourite books and enjoy reading over the summer. And what Grace did with that is just so creative and so exceptionally talented," she said.

Ultimately, they're hoping it works and that young people don't see reading as a task.

Getchell says she wants children and teens to "really fall in love" with reading so they can "enter into those stories, that they're able to see themselves in stories, that they're able to learn and go on adventures."

Woman walking through stacks of library books
Grace Carutthers, who is a programmer at the Waterloo Public Library, danced through different library branches and roped in other staff members to take part in the project. (Waterloo Public Library/YouTube)

As for her next hit, Carruthers says she's not sure what song she'll sing.

"I'm just waiting for suggestions. Waiting for inspiration to strike, I suppose," she said.

Summer reading programs are offered at all the local libraries, including Waterloo, Kitchener, Cambridge, Guelph and Region of Waterloo. Sign up is free and at the front desk.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kate Bueckert

Content producer

Kate has been covering issues in southern Ontario for more than 20 years. She is currently the content producer for CBC Kitchener-Waterloo. Email: kate.bueckert@cbc.ca