Valundra Pollard, 59, read stories to children at a Main Line library
She taught and captivated her audiences for two decades.
Valundra Pollard, 59, a beloved storyteller who read to children at the Ardmore Free Library for two decades, died of a heart attack on Tuesday, April 16.
Ms. Pollard retired in 2010 from her role after 17 years at the Ardmore library, but then she returned to storytelling there and elsewhere more recently, said her sister, Captola Evans.
“A typical story time begins with a song,” the Main Line Times newspaper reported in a 2010 article. Then, “children recite numbers 1-10 in English, Spanish, and French; the same with days of the week and colors.”
Peggy Newman, who was the library’s director at the time, described Ms. Pollard as “a Renaissance woman” for the way she included Spanish and French lessons and brought different cultures into her story times, the Main Lines Times reported.
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of our dear friend, Ms. Val,” the Ardmore library said in an April 23 Facebook post. “She has been an important member of Ardmore Library for many years. We will miss her terribly.”
Ms. Pollard was born in Philadelphia and graduated from Lower Merion High School in 1977. She took courses at Smith College in Massachusetts and then moved on to a career in market research.
Besides being a library storyteller around the Main Line, she taught kindergarten and Spanish at Overbrook Presbyterian Church’s nursery school.
Ms. Pollard hosted annual Kwanzaa and Easter events at her home and had friends from many faiths, races, and countries, her family said.
She liked to travel and her journeys took her to Pakistan, Israel, and Peru among many destinations.
She was an animal lover and had a parrot named Pablo for more than 30 years. She also had two cats, Onyx and Inky, and five parakeets. Her sister said new homes would be found for the animals.
In addition to her sister, Captola Evans, Ms. Pollard is survived by two brothers, Franklin and Cyrus; and an aunt, Na’Imah Asari. She also is survived by her former husband, Fida Sheik, and four stepchildren, Khadija Fida, Asma Fida, Rahat Fida, and Wajahat Fida.
There will be a memorial service for Ms. Pollard on May 2 at 10 a.m. at Siloam Baptist Church, 1329 Willow St., Norristown.
This article has been changed to show the correct time of the memorial service.