The walls of the Lehighton Area Memorial Library's children's section are about to become more colorful.

More than a dozen of the library's youngest patrons decorated their handprints in bright paint on cloth blocks. These blocks will be assembled into two wall quilts, which will be displayed near the library's large windows in the children's section.The quilts are being organized and quilted by Kathy Long, a library aide at Lehighton and popular local storyteller.Long also organized and quilted the Lehighton sesquicentennial quilt, which features dozens of handprints of Lehighton's youngest residents. She enjoyed working on the town's project, and hopes that a smaller quilt at the library will inspire children to become more connected with the library and to continue borrowing books as they grow older.She will continue to provide the blocks for children's handprints as they come to the library over the next few days.The library offers books, activities and resources for adults, teens and children. Long and librarian Valarie Sellix were quick to point out that the children who visit the library hold a special place in their hearts."The kids are extremely important. One of the purposes of the library is to promote lifelong literacy," Sellix said. "Seeing these kids grow, we get really attached to them. We like to see them come in and check out books and see their tastes change as they grow."She said that for some children, especially those who are too young to be in school or won't attend preschool, the library can be a safe place to interact with peers and learn to love reading."This is where their education starts, before they ever start school," Sellix said.Many of the children adding to the quilt came to the library's weekly toddler story time, which typically includes a book read aloud and a craft. This week's book was "And to Think That We Thought We'd Never be Friends" by Mary Ann Hoberman, which follows two siblings as they first argue and eventually find peace with each other and make many friends."I talked about friends, and how we can carry them into the future," Long said. "Since all of these children are friends of the library, we wanted to do this and allow them to leave their mark at the library. It is their friendship that will help our library grow into the future.""This is where it all begins," she added. "They learn to read, and reading will take them through life."The Lehighton library hosts a number of activities for children, adults and families, including story time every week at 10:30 a.m. Wednesdaysand 6 p.m. Thursdays. They will also hold a Family Olympics with field day-type events from 4-7 p.m. Tuesdayat the Lehighton Amphitheater. Registration is required; each team must include at least one adult and one child.Other programs include adult coloring sessions and a summer reading program. The library's fall program schedule will be announced soon.