Text: Solveig Hansen, 2018

In this post:

1. Trapped in the library door
2. A story about a boy and a teacher, an atlas and reading
3. Library on wheels
4. Stuffed animal sleepover in the library
5. Knit and listen

I recently visited our brand new public library with its modern, urban look. In the soft chairs and sofas, people read papers or magazines or books, some used the computers lined up by the windows. A visiting kindergarten class caught my attention. The children had small vests showing the name of their kindergarten. Librarians read aloud to them. At one of the tables, a boy was reading a football book. A girl leaned back in a deep chair, totally immersed in whatever story she was reading — I couldn’t see the title, but her facial expression was definitely that of a bookworm.

I smiled and remembered the day when I cracked the reading code and a whole new world revealed itself to me. I was five. The first thing I read was a Donald Duck magazine. I lay flat on my back.

With this as a backdrop, here are five lovely reading and library moments:

 
1. Trapped in the library door
“Please let me out and please let me in.” Irish poet Pat Ingoldsby sweetly recalls a 1950’s childhood memory. He got stuck in the library door with The Famous Five in one hand and a penny in the other to pay the overdue fine.

 
2. A story about a boy and a teacher, an atlas and reading
In this post, children’s writer Dawn Finch, a strong advocate of libraries, books and reading, tells how a former student of hers approached her and told her that she had taught him to read by using an atlas. It didn’t all have to be about stories, she had told him. Guess what became of the atlas boy?

 
3. Library on wheels
With no library nearby, a bookmobile saves the day in some remote villages in the south of Italy. A bright blue three-wheeled vehicle carrying a book house with red roof and a chimney. Behind the wheels of Il Bibliomotocarro, retired Italian schoolteacher Antonio La Cava who, after 42 years of teaching, took it upon himself to bring books to children. His mission is to instill in the children not only a love of reading but also of writing. Alongside the books, he brings with him new empty notebooks for the children to write their own stories. A true everyday hero. Read the whole story: Library on wheels

 
4. Stuffed animal sleepover in the library
This is just as cute as it sounds and brought a broad smile to the Internet. Somerville Public Library in Massachusetts, US hosted the stuffed animal sleepover. Kids left their animal buddies there for what would become an eventful night, with the librarians sharing images online. The animals enjoyed snacks, Lego building, reading and much more before they were safely tucked into bed, some of them among the books in the bookshelves.

 
5. Knit and listen
No matter how old or young you are, it feels good to be read to. The Deichman Library in Oslo invited people to bring their knitting with them and pop in for a “knit and listen” afternoon. A librarian, in front of a fake fireplace, read short stories to us while we all sat attentively with our knitting needles. I started on a new sock, knitted 24 rows during the one and a half hour session. This year they changed the name of these events to “Sit and listen.” You can still bring the knitting with you.

 
Do you have a library or reading moment you want to share?

 
Photo: Pixabay.com