After 4+ weeks of packing, shipping, saying goodbye, and unpacking....we have finally (mostly) settled into our new home. It has been a grueling process, but such a relief to finally be (mostly) done! Through all the stress and the endless mountain of boxes that need unpacked, I have tried to make room for plenty of time to explore and spend quality time with my sweet Little One. We have made it to the zoo, a theme park, the science center.....and of course, to the Library!
Our first family trip to the library in our new home was probably my favorite and most hopeful activity so far. First off, the branch closest to our house is HUGE compared to our local branch back home, and it has an ENTIRE FLOOR dedicated to the kids section! This means that when I "SHHHH-ed" sweet LO when she first squealed in delight at all the lovely books, the librarian actually looked at me and said, "it's OK - we love it when they're excited! She doesn't need to be quiet here!" Not only can she laugh, run and read carefree in this book wonderland, it is also extremely well-stocked with books and toys/activities alike, which means that trips to the library will likely be frequent and highly anticipated in the years to come. Finally, the most wonderful and coincidental thing happened on our inaugural trip to the library: LO and I made new friends! It reminded me so much of first meeting some of our dearest mom/tot friends back home, and it gave me great hope for the future: a future of continued reading, a future of exciting new adventures, and a future of meeting new friends. Oh, do I ever love libraries!!
In honor of our exceptional outing, here are some books about libraries that LO and I enjoy!
Lola At The Library
by
Anna McQuinn
Lola wakes up early and excited on library day, and walks the readers through her ritual of collecting up her books from the previous week, finding her library card, returning the old books, picking out the new, and all the while enjoying the adventure with her mom. When I read this book to LO, she identifies so much with the story that she insists that it is about her.... not Lola. "Don't say 'Lola'....that's me!" she squeals as I read the simple and sweet text about Lola's day. Not only do I love it that LO shares Lola's enthusiasm for library outings with mommy, it also touches me that my little girl has no comprehension that she and Lola look any different - to her, they are simply the same little girls because they both love libraries.
When the Library Lights Go Out
This is a cute (albeit long) story about a pair of library hand puppets that go on an after-hours adventure to find one of their friends "when the library lights go out." The story is very imaginative, a la "Toy Story," and I know that LO likes to imagine that her animals come alive at night. There are many clever plot devices that are hidden in the dialog-heavy text, which gives the reader the opportunity to pause on every page or two to discuss. Since there is a lot of dialog between the two friends, it forces kids to pay attention to understand who is saying what (it also gives the reader the opportunity to practice their voice acting if they wish!). As if libraries weren't magical enough during the day, this book opens up the whole world of possibilities as to their magic at night!
Library Lion
by
Michelle Knudsen (Author),
Kevin Hawkes
