University of Delaware students will read storybooks that they developed about tropical coral reef lionfish to children at the Morris Library on May 2, 3 and 4.

The story hour will be held in the Morris Library’s 1941 Lecture Room at 3:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. each day.

The event is free and open to the public. Parking vouchers for the visitor lot on South College Avenue will be provided to parents in attendance.

The UD students created the books to help teach the scientific findings of real research on tropical coral reef lionfish to children age three to seven, under the advisement of Danielle Dixson, an assistant professor in the College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment’s School of Marine Science and Policy.

Dixson takes a special interest in communicating science to young audiences. She began creating storybooks to inform citizens in remote villages in Fiji about the research she was conducting in their local reefs.

Working in collaboration with Martha Carothers, professor of art and design, and Agnes Ly, assistant professor of psychology and brain sciences, Dixson developed a course called Science Through Storybooks. In the class, Dixson teaches students studying marine science, psychology and art to create similar storybooks to convey scientific findings simply but accurately.

She hopes creating children’s books will teach college students to be good stewards of their research, while making marine research more accessible in order to inspire the next generation of scientists.