TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Story time has returned to Mildred & Dildred, a locally-owned independent toy store in Midtown.
After shutting down during the COVID-19 lockdowns, Mildred & Dildred resumed its weekly story hours earlier this month. The event features owner Autumn Ruhe playing storyteller, chorus leader and puppeteer.
Ruhe says that while there are lots of great story times in Tucson, her store is set apart by one little thing.
“Our story time is really for toddlers,” she says. “It’s really like a first storytime because it’s short, it’s really repetitive, we sing the same songs, we read a lot of the same stories, there’s puppets, there’s singing and so it’s really meant to appeal to the youngest.”
Ruhe says that she likes to keep stories interactive and chooses books that can incorporate calls and responses. Rather than still bodies, Mildred & Dildred story times encourage toddlers to dance around, wave their arms and shout out along with the story.
Story times like those found at Mildred & Dildred have shown to have positive effects on young children, such as increased focus, along with helping develop bonding with parents.
Mildred & Dildred’s story time began in their former La Encantada location, before the store moved to midtown.
Ruhe says that about a year ago, they got the idea to restart the story time. But it wasn’t until February that Mildred & Dildred announced that they would be back, puppets in hand.
Story time at Mildred & Dildred runs every Tuesday at 9:30am at its location at 1725 N. Swan Rd.
