Why Third Grade?
SEE the LIVE Performance
LISTEN to Audiobook online or on your device through
OverDrive!
DOWNLOAD printable activities
LISTEN to the music online!
CHECK OUT the
Book at your Branch Library or as an
OverDrive eBook.
(Use the tabs above to hear audio recordings and to learn more about the musical perfomances.)
A Multi-Faceted Project to Support Third Grade Reading
This delightful, original musical is just one element of an ambitious, collaborative project designed to support the region’s Third Grade Reading Guarantee. Other key elements are an original chapter book titled
Felix and Fiona: The Big Stink and Other Adventures, an audiobook, and downloadable music.
Dayton Metro Library is a committed partner in helping children prepare for kindergarten, pass the third grade reading assessment, and graduate from high school.
3rd Grade - The Pivotal Time for Future Success
"One in six children who are not reading proficiently in third grade fail to graduate from high school on time, four times the rate for children with proficient third-grade reading skills.”*
Research shows that from birth through third grade, children focus on learning to read. Then the focus of education changes, and from fourth grade onward, children read to learn. This shift means that reading proficiency by the end of third grade is vital. In fact, studies have shown that third grade reading proficiency is the single greatest indicator in determining high school graduation success. The Third Grade Reading Guarantee is an Ohio Department of Education effort to keep students on track.
Growing with Children
In 2015, DML launched First Club, a campaign to ensure that first graders receive library cards. A key element of First Club is The Awesome, Amazing, Wonderful Book of First Grade Firsts, a picture book introducing the original characters of Felix and Fiona as first graders, gaining responsibilities and independence, and getting their first library cards. As part of First Club, Children’s Librarians share the book and activities in first grade classrooms across Montgomery County. To date, nearly 11,300 first graders have received their own library cards through First Club.
Felix and Fiona appear in a follow up book called The Awesome, Amazing, Wonderful First Trip to the Library, so that all those new, young library cardholders know what to expect – and the wonders they can find – at their Library.
Now Felix and Fiona are aged up to third grade. By depicting familiar characters in different stages of development, DML builds a foundation for lifelong reading and learning.
*The Annie E. Casey Foundation. (2012). Double Jeopardy; How Third Grade Reading Skills and Poverty Influence High School Graduation. Baltimore, MD: the Annie E. Casey Foundation. https://www.aecf.org/resources/double-jeopardy/
The Musical
WHAT IS IT?
Listen to the Opening and Closing songs from our musical.
A third song and the full score are COMING SOON!
A fully staged production of the musical performance, presented with the book, to inspire a love of reading, and demonstrate how, with a hint of creativity, the written word can come to life in new and exciting ways.
The final chapter of THE BIG STINK, “Embrace the Positive,” takes on a new life as audiences meet a real life Felix, Fiona and Sierra and watch as they take on the challenge of third grade picture day. The 15 minute stage production is followed by a Q&A where audiences get to learn more about the process of making live theatre.
Schedule of Branch Library Performances from 2019
- Saturday, June 29th, 2019 – WORLD PREMIERE at the Main Library
Performances at 2:30 PM and 3:30 PM | Panel Discussion 2:50 PM
- Wednesday, July 3, 2019
Northwest Branch Performance at 11:00 AM
Madden Hills Branch Performance at 1:30 PM
- Saturday, July 27, 2019
Huber Heights Branch Performance at11:00 AM
Vandalia Branch Performance at 1:30 PM
West Carrollton Branch Performance at 4:00 PM
- Wednesday, July 31, 2019
Trotwood Branch Performance at 11:00 AM
Miamisburg Branch Performance at 1:30 PM
- Saturday, August 10, 2019
Brookville Branch Performance at 10:30 AM
Electra C. Doren Branch Performance at 1:00 PM
Wilmington-Stroop Branch Performance at 3:30 PM
- Saturday, August 17, 2019 The NEW Southeast Branch,
Performance at 10:30 AM
- Saturday, August 24, 2019
Burkhardt Branch Performance at 1:00 PM
Kettering-Moraine Branch Performance at 4:00 PM
Cast, Crew + Production Team:
- Felix: Austin Vega
- Fiona: Valkyrie Williams
- Sierra: Samantha Van
- Tour/Stage Manager: Sarah Parrott
- Tour Pianist: Stephen Estep & Hannah Rinehart
- Director: Kimberly Borst
- Production Designer: Daniel Brunk
- Scenic Artists: Nikki Bentz and Gregory Davis
- Costume Designer: Ashton Brunn
- Composer: Austin Jaquith
Thank you to Donald Stewart and Olivia Yokers for sharing their vocal skills for the audio recording.
Special thanks to The Muse Machine
Thanks also to the artists who shared a behind-the-scenes peek at theatre in action! They created special programs in costuming, props, lighting, and scene design so patrons of all ages could participate in the creative endeavor.
Bring the Musical Adventure to your school:
DML is bringing the live production of Felix and Fiona’s Musical Adventure to local classrooms during the fall of 2019. Once the initial tour is complete, Muse Machine will include the production as part of their offerings for elementary schools.
© Dayton Metro Library, 2019 | Original music and lyrics composed by Austin Jaquith as commissioned by Dayton Metro Library for the Felix and Fiona Third Grade Reading Project. Dayton Metro Library retains all copyrights for the original score, lyrics and audio recordings. Re-mixing or distribution is not permitted without the express written consent of the Dayton Metro Library and Austin Jaquith.
The Book + Audiobook
The Book! - Felix and Fiona: The Big Stink and Other Adventures
The heart of this project is the book: an original chapter book that follows best friends Felix and Fiona as they navigate the friendships, fun, challenges, and triumphs of third grade. Chapters depict our protagonists getting ready for a talent show, getting a new puppy, cheering up a classmate with new braces, rehearsing for a school play, and trying to figure out the source of a particularly pungent odor at school. The book is designed to delight third graders, while meeting educational standards that blend into the third grade curriculum.
Felix & Fiona: The Big Stink and Other Adventures was written and illustrated by a local team of Children’s Librarians, educators and an outside creative firm.
THANKS to the team of librarians and library staff who supported the creative development of the book, plus:
SPECIAL THANKS to Justin Anyanwu, Dayton Public Schools, Jillustrate, Montgomery County ESC, The Muse Machine, Norris Cole Foundation, Gavin Orr, Upward Brand Interactions, Olivia Yokers
CREATIVE DIRECTORS: Upward Brand Interactions | ILLUSTRATIONS: Jillustrate
The Audiobook - Bringing the Stories to Life
Research tells us:
- Comprehension increases when an auditory component is coupled with print.
- Students comprehend content at two grade levels higher when they experience it in audio format rather than print alone.
- Retention increases when content is added to music.
With this information in mind, DML created the audio version of Felix & Fiona: The Big Stink and Other Adventures. Kids can listen to the audiobook on its own, or they can listen and read along with the print book in hand. The audiobook can be streamed to the right on our website or you can checkout the audiobook for your child's device at OverDrive.
Our Cast
Felix: Donald Stewart
Fiona: Megan Cooper
Female Narrator/Other Voices: Chrissy Sanders
Male Narrator/Other Voices: Jamie McQuinn
THANKS to audiobook producer ManaVision and the DML librarians and staff who voiced our beloved characters.
© Dayton Metro Library, 2019 | Dayton Metro Library retains all copyrights to the original content of the Audiobook, Felix and Fiona: The Big Stink and Other Adventures. Distribution or commercial use is not permitted without the express written consent of the Dayton Metro Library.
