MARQUETTE — The sounds of the latest Teen Thursday at the Peter White Public Library in Marquette came not from pages turning in a book, but from limes being sliced and beans being refried.

Those activities aren’t exactly big noisemakers, but loudness wasn’t the purpose of the event.

“Build a Better Burrito” was the theme last Thursday, with youngsters creating this Mexican staple from scratch at the Marquette Arts and Culture Center, located in the library’s lower level.

Leading the activity was Mary Schneeberger, PWPL teen services coordinator.

“I myself stand when I’m cooking,” Schneeberger told the kids. “How about you?”

Standing came in handy after various cooking stations were set up.

For anyone familiar with the typical burrito, it’s created with several ingredients, including beans of various kinds and cheese, all rolled up in a tortilla.

Some participants cooked Mexican rice while others drained black beans, or, to get in the spirit of the event, “frijoles negros.” Others mashed avocados to make guacamole, for instance.

They still had to receive a few cooking instructions, some of which had to be improvised.

“If we’re doubling the Mexican rice recipe, then we need this whole can of sauce,” Schneeberger said.

They also learned about cilantro — the leaves from the coriander plant.

“You can either take a branch and just pull these off, these little leaves,” Schneeberger said. “It’s so tedious. Whoever gets this job, you’re a saint. Or you can cut if off with the scissors.”

They also used lemon instead of lime for the guacamole recipe.

“Lemon is really good,” Schneeberger said. “I think that’s pretty commonly used in it.”

Grace Rickauer, 13, of Marquette, attended the session with her sisters, Greta, 15, and Gwendolyn, 11.

They were in charge of the refried beans.

“I love to cook,” Grace said.

The three seemed to work well together, with a little help from each other.

“Stick the beans in,” Greta said. “Start stirring and mashing.”

That’s the sort of cooperation that works in group cooking.

“It’s teamwork, but I also thought there were different components to it,” Schneeberger said. “You know, it’s our program, ‘Build a Better World.’ Not only is it alliterative, but it’s the food you build.”

The library this summer is holding a special reading program that encourages reading for babies through teens. Kids are asked to read, or are read to, at least 20 minutes a day for at least 10 days. Each child then may pick out a free book to keep at the PWPL Book Fair. Three fairs are scheduled; to see the schedule, visit www.pwpl.info under Youth Services.

Youngsters can support the Foster Closet of Marquette County by bringing in a donation on a provided list, with a day of reading then counted on their reading logs.

Events like concerts are another component of the Build a Better World program.

As far as the burritos went, the finished treats turned out well. In fact, one girl was seen licking avocado from a utensil before the burritos were even assembled.

The next Teen Thursday, “Amazing Mosaics” with local artist Joy Bender-Hadley, will be 2 to 4 p.m. at the MACC. For more information on library events, call 906-228-9510 or visit www.pwpl.info.

Christie Bleck can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 250. Her email address is cbleck@miningjournal.net.