Dive into other worlds at the city library

Daniela Vieweg & Ingrid Schmutzler

"Daniela Vieweg and Ingrid Schmutzler walk quietly through the city library. Both are reading mentors and regularly read stories to the public. Whether as mentors in kindergartens and schools or directly in the city library, the two women are passionate about introducing children to reading.

Why is reading aloud to children so important?
Ingrid Schmutzler: The children learn to listen and engage with a story. The children's imagination is stimulated. It is extremely important for language development. Retelling is trained. The more the children listen, the better their expression becomes.
Daniela Vieweg: Reading time is something special for the children in kindergarten. You engage with the books and put on a little performance, like a kind of theatre play, telling the stories together with the children. At the end, I usually discuss what I've read again and ask: "What did you take away?", "What was it about?"
The aim of the reading mentors is to familiarise the children with reading. That reading can also be a leisure activity. Diving into other worlds is a nice alternative to traditional games and can also fulfil the children.
Ingrid Schmutzler: It's exactly the same in primary schools. The children are always happy when someone comes to read - they follow the adventures of the heroes of the stories as quiet as mice. I am currently preparing a project with the Rabenstein primary school. In this project, the children are encouraged to retell episodes from the children's book "Ein verrückter Steckbrief" and come up with sequels.

Although this reading experience is so positive for children, studies show that the typical bedtime story is being pushed further and further into the background. A sad development. Why is that?
Daniela Vieweg: I can't confirm that this is the case. In my environment, in my daughter's kindergarten, such rituals are and were practised. Of course, it's possible that for one or two of them, this may fade into the background. But not on the part of the child. The parents have to show the children the ritual. And there will certainly be some families where this is not the case. Perhaps this is due to a lack of interest in books in general. I can't tell any parent that they should read their children a bedtime story in the evening. I can only show the children I read to how wonderful it is to be read to. And perhaps these children will take it home, tell me how much fun it is and thus establish their reading aloud ritual.

How did you become involved in reading aloud to children on a voluntary basis?
Ingrid Schmutzler: I started out very privately, as I was not yet a member of the Friends of the City Library. I started writing children's books in 2001. And in 2003, I read my first stories to my grandson's kindergarten. From then on, I regularly visited two kindergartens every fortnight to entertain the children with stories. Initially, I also worked in the public library. Due to the amount of work involved, I decided after a while to only read for the pre-school children in the kindergartens. Since 2004, my audience has included primary school pupils, to whom I introduce my children's books. Now I regularly read in a kindergarten and for older children.
Daniela Vieweg: I started reading in the public library about five years ago. I've always been a reading enthusiast in my private life. Since my daughter was born, I've also rediscovered the great children's books. A few years ago, I was shocked by an evaluation by the Bertelsmann Foundation, which reported that only 25 per cent of children starting school had picked up a book by the start of the school year. I couldn't imagine that at all. I thought about what could be done about it. During my research, I came across the Friends of the City Library and discovered the reading mentors there. And that's how I got started. At first I only read in the TIETZ in the children's world, and then also in my daughter's kindergarten.

Books play a major role in the lives of both women. In addition to her work as a reading mentor, Daniela Vieweg is also a member of the board of the Friends of the City Library and a delivery messenger. She selects books for an over 80-year-old lady and delivers them to her home. Ingrid Schmutzler has been writing her own children's books for almost 15 years and puts a lot of love and money into their production.

How do you choose the books you read to the children?
Ingrid Schmutzler: I now only read from my own books in primary schools. I like to read classics in the nurseries. For example, the children really enjoy listening to "Hörbe mit dem großen Hut" by Ottfried Preußler. They also enjoy listening to "Die drei lustigen Gesellen" by Eno Raud with the root men Moosbart, Muff and Halbschuh. I currently have nine children in a kindergarten who are very open-minded. Fairy tales are also among the children's favourite books. I always try to find out what the children's interests are so that I can choose what to read.
Daniela Vieweg: When I was still reading in kindergarten, the children were aged between three and six. I chose my books from a wide variety of categories. The nursery school teachers also always gave me tips on which topics were currently being discussed in the groups. We once had the topic "People with disabilities". So I read stories with the help of the topic pack from the city library. That went down really well. I also think books with large and beautiful illustrations are great for reading aloud. That way you can experience the stories together with the children. Pippi Longstocking stories still go down well, but I also enjoy reading aloud contemporary children's literature. Christine Nöstlinger's "Anna and Anger" is simply delicious!

Mrs Schmutzer, you also read for senior citizens. What is the biggest difference between reading to senior citizens and reading to children?
Ingrid Schmutzler: The biggest difference is, of course, the subject matter. My seniors now prefer short stories. It takes a lot of preparation time to choose the right book for the seniors. Short stories from the life of Hildegard von Bingen, Jaroslav Hašek, Jürgen von der Lippe, stories from the past and so on are popular literature. Unfortunately, the number of listeners has decreased in recent times. There are many reasons for this. In the beginning, we had 10 to 20 listeners, but now we're down to single figures. And so the interest of senior citizens is also changing. Travel stories are now on the agenda, as they are no longer able to travel themselves. The other day we had stories about Greece. Now they want China, and I'm in the process of preparing this and selecting suitable stories. In between, the seniors talk about their own experiences. We have set up a kind of reading café. It's a nice leisure activity for my seniors.

Do you also read stories with a connection to Chemnitz?
Ingrid Schmutzler: Five years ago, I wrote the story "Lukas and the Figural Glockenspiel". After most of my listeners had seen the carillon on the market, I read the story to them at the reading café. I am preparing a project together with the Dr Wilhelm André Grammar School for the 875th anniversary of the city of Chemnitz. We will be bringing the story of St Luke and the Figural Carillon to the stage to introduce it to many pupils.

Are you from Chemnitz?
Ingrid Schmutzler: I have lived and worked in this city since 1961. I feel very much at home here. Chemnitz is my city and I would do anything to represent my city. That's also why I wrote the story with the figurative carillon. For me, Chemnitz is a cosy and pleasant city with lots to discover.
Daniela Vieweg: I can only confirm that. I've been in Chemnitz since 2003. I previously lived in Hamburg and Dresden and originally come from a small village in Lusatia. Every city was exciting and very pleasant for me. When I moved to Chemnitz, I immediately realised that there was a prejudice. But I realised that it's a very pleasant place to live. Even if the people who were born in Chemnitz don't necessarily look at their city with a positive eye.

What plans do you have for the future? Especially with regard to the year 2025?
Ingrid Schmutzler: Above all, I want to be healthy in 2025. I will probably no longer be a reading mentor. But I would be very happy if I could do it for another three years. Now I'm looking forward to the big project with the Dr.-W.-André-Gymnasium for the city's anniversary in 2018.
Daniela Vieweg: It's important for me to balance my job and my hobbies. I want to continue to be active as a reading mentor. I also do a lot of other work, such as being on the board of the Kleinolbersdorf-Altenhain e.V. citizens' association or the AWO Kreisverband Chemnitz und Umgebung e.V. and a member of the parents' council at my daughter's daycare centre. It's true: once a volunteer, always a volunteer.

What do you wish for the city until 2025?
Ingrid Schmutzler: The city should continue to grow and prosper. Money for children and youth work, because children are our future and we must not alienate them.
Daniela Vieweg: I think the idea of applying for the Capital of Culture is great. Of course, it's always difficult to think about how much it all costs. But projects cost money. Even an architect invests a lot of money in preliminary planning at the beginning before construction even begins. Chemnitz has the chance to step out of its shadow. Even if the bid is not successful, there will certainly be many positive projects for Chemnitz in the aftermath.