After an enjoyable outing on Mother's Day, I'm reminded again what a valuable resource we have in our public library. The Niles Public Library has been a regular destination for my daughter throughout her eight years. After initiating her with Babytime and Tot Time storytime read-alouds, she has gone on to participate in their summer reading program and in a variety of youth special events.
Recently, my daughter and I attended a mother-daughter tea party hosted by the library. At the event, kids decorated hats and crowns (whether they were meant for the kids or their moms is unclear; the kids mostly wound up wearing them), strutted along the stage-turned-catwalk for a mini-fashion show and noshed on cookies and tea/lemonade.
Of course, it wouldn't be complete without hearing stories. A highlight was "Little Treasures: Endearments from Around the World," by Jacqueline Ogburn. The message was that parents everywhere love their children and refer to them by sweet pet names; the book details endearments used in 14 languages. From the French "mon petit chou" (my little cabbage), to the Argentinian "carmelito" (my little candy) to the Indian "mera gudda" (my babydoll), it was a charming story. The book was perfectly chosen, not only for Mother's Day but also for its multi-cultural audience comprised of Niles Library patrons. In fact, several audience members were able to help out on correct pronunciations of a few terms - to the storyteller's relief.
The library is an easy choice if my daughter is bored; there are toys and games besides a wealth of books to investigate and check out. And their calendar is filled with programs of interest: there are family Lego builds, teddy bear sleepovers, bibliobop dance parties, yoga for kids, magician shows and family movie times, for instance. (www.nileslibrary.org) And happily, June 1st kicks off the summer reading club. The best part about all of it, is it's free! Now that school is almost out, check out your local library's offerings. There's sure to be events of interest to kids (and adults) that will occupy their time.
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