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More of the tangram wall at the Kaysville library. Rachel Trotter

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Three-year-old Jake Pearce creates a tangram stegosaurus on the magnetic tangram board at the Kaysville library. Rachel Trotter

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One-year-old Zack Pearce explores the magnetic tangram boards at Kaysville library. Rachel Trotter

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The new Kaysville library has a large tangram wall in its children's area. The wall tells the story of a boys' imagination when reading a book. The blue tangrams are birds and fish; the browns and golds are other animal forms. Rachel Trotter

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Children have created a tangram wall at the Kaysville library. Rachel Trotter

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KAYSVILLE — Children have been given a special place in the new Kaysville library, right when they walk in the front doors.

A white wall just to the right of the library entrance is filled with tangrams of bright blues, yellows and golds. Other tangram designs fill the children’s area on the top of each row of books and each cataloging row. Two large magnetic boards with tangram shapes also sit on two end caps of the library.

A tangram is a Chinese puzzle made of seven shapes that can be made into different designs. The idea for the wall and theme of the children’s center was hatched at a citizens planning meeting, said Kaysville Library branch manager Lynette Mills. The group was brainstorming ideas for the children’s space and quilts were brought up. Carolyn Pearson, a committee member, brought up the quilts and tangram idea.

“From there, tangrams grew out of it and everyone really liked it,” Mills said.

Kaysville children’s librarian Brooke Kowalczik said a tangram project had been done at a park activity and was successful, so they knew it would be a hit in the library. And it has been. “When kids come into the library the first place they go is over to the tangrams,” Mills said as she motioned to the magnetic tangram boards.

As for the wall, children and adults alike are intrigued by it.

“Many people don’t realize the wall tells a story,” Mills said. On the north end of the wall it starts with a boy, and as the picture unfolds across the wall, his imagination moves with different shapes of animals — the blue being birds and fish, and the yellows and golds being different animals, including dinosaurs. As the wall wraps around to face the front doors, it opens into the pages of a book. “It just shows what children can get from books and it’s something really special,” Mills said.

Both Mills and Kowalczik are enjoying the space. “I love it. It’s so fun and I love to see people when they realize it’s not just random shapes and it all makes something,” Mills said.

Sherstin Pearce said her two boys head straight for the tangram magnets when they arrive at the library. “We’ve looked at the wall and we really loved all of it,” she said. “I like that they have something to do and I can do something for me sometimes,” she said as she pointed to her own high stack of books.

Jim Lewis donated the money for the wall in his parents’ names, Ben and Barbara Lewis. Jim Lewis told the library board how much his parents loved children and libraries and how it would be perfect to dedicate the wall to them.

“There are only three things on the wall that are not perfect tangrams, and that is two bow ties and a clover club,” Mills said. The bow ties are dedicated to Jim Lewis’s father, who always wore bow ties, and the clover club is dedicated to the Clover Club potato chip plant, which was one the site before the library was built. The clover club is green and the bow ties are bright blue.

The new library branch has been open for just over a month and is now starting to integrate children’s classes.

Toddler/preschool time runs on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m. and Fridays at 11:30 a.m. The recommended age is 3 to 6 and parental supervision is requested. Kowalczik plans to separate toddlers and preschoolers as the class grows. The new library is located at 215 Fairfield Road in Kaysville. For questions call 801-444-2250.