ESCONDIDO -- Some youngsters forced out of their homes by this week's fires got a break from reality on Wednesday when a group of library storytellers visited an evacuee shelter.

About a dozen displaced youngsters staying at the Faith Emmanuel Community Church in Escondido got a visit from the city's bookmobile and storytellers while their parents rested, showered and talked to emergency officials about the status of their homes.

Many didn't know if their houses were still standing after fires raged through their neighborhoods in Valley Center and Ramona.

But for an hour or so, while Little Red Riding Hood hopped to Grandma's house or Halloween storybook characters marched through the kids' corner of the church gymnasium, they didn't seem haunted by thoughts of home.

"It's really fun and goofy, not like the news," said 7-year-old Arianna Shell as she watched the storytellers with her 5-year-old brother, Joseph.

That's exactly the reaction storytellers had hoped for, said library literacy coordinator Josephine Jones.

"The point of us coming was to show these kids that they can dream and escape and smile and just be kids during this rough time," Jones said. "With the library being closed, we figured it's a good chance for us to do something to help out."

The library also handed out free books from its Bookmobile to children at the church, which provided families with food, shelter, showers and access to insurance agents.

Parents who weren't busy watching the news or getting insurance advice said they were grateful the storytellers provided a bit of a distraction for their kids.

"My youngest, she keeps asking when we're going home," said mother Jessica Uribe, a Lake Wohlford resident. "She doesn't know yet that our home is gone."

Contact staff writer Erin Walsh at (760) 739-6644 or ewalsh@nctimes.com.