Photo courtesy of Stuart Police Department.

Kids are invited to enjoy some storytime with a local police officer in Stuart this Saturday.

The Stuart Police Department is hosting “Books & Badges” at 10 a.m. at the Stuart Public Library. This will be the second of a monthly program led by Officer Katie Guisinger, which she says is a great way to foster positive relationships with young children. Guisinger says there were about 20 attendees for the November event, “I mostly just enjoy that they were excited to be there. They were very well-behaved, they listened to the story (and) we interacted. I tried to work with the library a little bit and make sure what stories we were picking out – not too long, not too short – just trying to hit a good general age group.”

Though Guisinger spends her personal time volunteering for this program, she does wear her uniform to help kids become more comfortable around law enforcement. Kids and parents are welcome to attend, and Guisinger will give out a free book as well as other goodies.