A little library business

It's not that I've given up my volunteer librarianship, though you might not realize from recent posts on the blog that I'm still doing it. I have been mucho busy with other stuff (Fibbery, Accordians, Rubik's Cube practice sessions), and haven't had nearly as much time to dig in to the library itself of late OR to write about it.

And I gotta tell you, there's definitely an "absence makes the heart grow fonder" thang going on for me. I can't tell you how much I miss watching the reactions of a group of kids as I read 'em a great book. I've seen that "sparkle" folks talk about when kids get engaged, and it's a jolt. This was never something I would've expected to impact me, so I'm rather grateful I discovered it. It surely shows the power of a good story, and I'm lucky to have a nicely stocked library full of gooooood stuff to read. I will note, too, from a writer's point of view, reading aloud and seeing what works and what doesn't (and in the case of picture books, seeing how the text and pictures work together for the read-ee) has been truly educational. Whether I'm a better writer or not for the experience isn't for me to judge, but I do know I'm a more aware writer.

I know a lot of folks who visit here share my passion for children's books, so I think what I'm saying is that what I've learned means there's many reasons for you to go out and adopt a class or a school and read to 'em. Not that I'm proselytizing or nothing. I'm just saying.

Some of what we've been reading at the library:

The Hungry Coat -- Demi
The True Story of Stellina -- Matteo Pericoli
Bringing Asha Home -- Uma Krishnaswami; illustrated by Jamel Akib
The Dot -- Peter Reynolds
Song of the Swallows -- Leo Politi
Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich -- Adam Rex
The American Story -- Jennifer Armstrong; illustrated by Roger Roth