In Which There Is No Library Story Time and Magical Things Happen Anyway

Today marked the first day of a library story time hiatus here at Lake City Library and so many families and a child care came for stories.

Soon groups of children were looking at books, listening in a small group to a teacher read, and working on puzzles in small groups with and without adults--puzzles with Wild Things, Lilly of Purple Purse fame, Eric Carle Animals in a Number Puzzle and and alphabet puzzle with 26 pieces to connect in a line. Others were playing with blocks or felt board pieces.

One nine year old girl who loves reading out loud and is very good at it, read to a small group of kids who were finished with their puzzles.  Parents and teachers appreciated having an older child show how much fun it is to be a child and a reader.  The girl and her mother were grateful for this serendipitous experience.  (And of course the girl's grandmother is a librarian!) This inspired me to dream of a story time club or series of programs where kids could learn about sharing stories and could share them with small groups of kids for a special program.  Mmmmm...

I was able to mingle and chat and answer reference questions and share suggestions for books in a different way today.  I wish I could capture the buzz of activity , people talking and sharing and the lit up faces of children enjoying stories.

One grandma, a retired pricipal, complimented me on my story times and mentioned my skill at keeping even young kids involved by having  a variety of activities and knowing when to use them!

The next few weeks I will be on vacation, but I will ask staff to put out our "emergency kit" should some families show up on non-story time story time day.