UNDER THE SPELL; CHILDREN ENCHANTED BY STORYBOOK READERS.

Byline: Paul O'Donoghue Staff Writer

In an intimate corner of the Moorpark Library, 9-year-olds Donald Raskin and Jonathan Larava rocked with laughter as volunteer Terry Dushan read to them from ``Wayside School is Falling Down.''

It was so much fun having the 54-year-old grandmother read to them, using a variety of dramatic voices to describe a character who didn't believe in wearing socks.

And it's also a joy for Dushan, who has been reading to kids on Thursday afternoons for the past 18 months as a volunteer for Grandparents and Books, a county program operating in Moorpark and five other libraries.

``I just think children are rather magical themselves, and reading to them gives me an excuse to be a child again myself,'' said Dushan, a former therapist. ``It's just fun to try out different emotions and watch the children's excitement.''

As she searched the library's shelves for books to bring home for her children, Donald's mom, Denise Raskin, said it was the first time she had seen the reading program in action.

``They can read very well, but it's always fun to have somebody else read to you,'' she said. ``Just the fact she's a volunteer is great. It's a positive experience.''

Modeled after a program in Los Angeles, Grandparents and Books was started about four years ago with a $5,000 state grant to each of the participating libraries to help buy books and props and to train volunteers, said Mary Goldberg, who oversees children's services at Moorpark Library.

``It's become very popular, and the kids are starting to really enjoy having the volunteers here,'' she said.

It now operates in six libraries countywide, enlisting 30 to 40 seniors who reach 5,000 children each year, said Star Soto, a library technician in children's services for the Ventura County Library.

Soto said the program offers children a chance to interact with seniors, and it gives the older adults an outing with a purpose. ``They may be opening a young mind,'' she said.

Once a year, the library sends out a call for volunteers and provides a training program that offers a reading list, tips for choosing books and other storytelling suggestions, such as how to use different voices during the story or how to hold a book up for the crowd.

``There's more to reading stories than picking out a book and reading it,'' Soto said. ``We show them all the things we have to offer here to enhance their reading.''

She said, ``We also emphasize why they're reading to the kids. . . . Basically, you want to encourage an enjoyment of reading, and hopefully they'll develop lifelong reading skills.''

Parent Rick Miller was able to help his 10-year-old daughter, Marisa, with her math in another part of the library while 9-year-old Kristin listened to Dushan read from ``The Banza,'' a story about tigers and jungles.

``This is great,'' he said. ``It gives me the opportunity to do some math with her.''

And children often take the opportunity to read their own favorite stories to the volunteers, such as ``Beauty and the Beast'' and ``Goldlilocks and the Three Bears.''

The library has reading sessions at 3 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. A volunteer is needed to fill-read on Tuesdays, and anyone interested should contact the library at [phone].