Librarian

Whether you are having a great day or a “down in the dump” day, the best thing to brighten any day is reading a story to 25 kindergarten and 1^st grade students.  I wasn’t necessarily having a bad day when I covered for our librarian, Tiffany, this morning, but I was certainly having a better day when I was finished with my hour.

It was a pretty straightforward assignment – read a picture book, discuss it with the children, and let them browse the books for a book checkout.  I consulted my second grade daughter before I left the house this morning and she recommended that I read “Too Many Toys” by David Shannon to the students.  It was one of her favorite books so I knew I couldn’t lose.

The story is about a boy named Spencer who has too many toys.  Dinosaurs, trains, stuffed animals, puzzles, wooden pull-toys, and noisy electronic toys clutter his room and spill out into the living room.  Finally, his parents have enough and demand that he get rid of some of the older, seldom used toys.  After much discussion and debate, Spencer agrees to put some older toys into a box destined for the dump.  In the end however, Spencer discovers perhaps the greatest toy of all time was right under his nose – the cardboard box, which he promptly converts into a spaceship.

When the story was finished, each and every student seemed to have a story about a box that they once converted into a fort, robot, or a car.  I was so happy that the students were able to connect the story to their own life experiences.  They could have told me story after story for a couple of hours, but eventually I had to cut them off so they could check out a book.

Parents should probably be thanking me soon because I think I successfully convinced the students to simply ask for a box in December for the holidays.  I think that’s what we will be getting our kids.

   

Photos: Michelle Kossivas