Children and their parents came out Thursday as CEI Bookstore kicked off their summer Story Time. The 30-minute story time events are geared for children eight and under and features a new theme each Thursday during the months of June and July.

Thursday’s storyteller was CEI’s Sales and Marketing Manager Joanna Clem. and the theme was “God Made You.” Each week will feature a theme about the many wonderful things God has made.

“We are going to have different storytellers for each week and so next week, it might be a little bit different. We are letting the storytellers dictate what happens,” Clem said.

Clem read three books to the children including, “Twirl” by Emily Lex, “Do Your Ears Hang Low?” by Jenny Cooper and “The World Needs Who You Were Made to Be” by Joanna Gaines. Hot air balloons were featured in the book by Gaines so afterwards, the children colored and decorated their own hot air balloon.

Next week, the theme will be God Made Family and CEI invites children to come enjoy some books and crafts. Other scheduled themes for June and July are church, animals, emotions, dinosaurs, food and the world.

Story Time takes place each Thursday now through the end of July at 10 a.m. inside the CEI Bookstore located at 220 South Marion Street in Athens.