Books in the Park

Today we took a walk to the library. It is the summer reading program and the boys had "read" ten books each. They were ready to choose their free book and get their name added to the reading wall. The librarian was fabulous and made the ordeal every bit as exciting as it should be. Stickers for the chart-" make sure you get them on there," he said. Theo went to it right away. Sam held on to his. Then the librarian had the boys watch him hang their names on the wall and said, "keep filling in reading logs and you can get a star for your tag and an entry for the free breakfast raffle." Then he said take your time as you choose your book. Both Sam and Theo agreed on the same book- a silly book called Tubby...all about bathtime. Luckily, there were two of them.

In anycase, after collecting our free books and then a few additional library books we headed to the park right outside the library to read. We had just settled in to a bench in the shade when a couple of young boys came out to play. This park is fabulous because it borders on quite a few apartments. One of the boys I remembered from last year. He came over and asked if the boys were twins and I said yes. He said, "wow that's great that means they are 0 months apart in age. My brother and I are 13 months apart." I asked him how old he is and he said 7. Then he played a bit of "two square" with his brother using a basketball. A bit later as his brother ran in the house for a football and he asked if he could read to the boys. I said, "sure" and he sat down right in between them and read. Saying," I am a good reader." The boys agreed.

The boys enjoyed their new friend. And we told him about the summer reading program. He asked if you need to have a library card to do it and I said no. It makes me sad that he might not have a library card, but I said you just have to read ten books and you can get a free book. You can probably read them right there in the library if you can get an adult to let you go there.

Here is the amazing thing. Right outside our doors people have access to so many things and yet they don't even go there. It is wonderful that these children today were actually allowed to play outside, in a park no less. Many kids don't even have that access. But, that freedom seems to stop. In this young boy's world it seemed to stop even before the door of the library. How do we change that? Make libraries and the natural world open to all?

Library activities out doors? Ahhh....if we could only find a way to fund that. Currently, I don't even think I can go to the library tomorrow as it will be closed. No funding.