We took a quick trip to the library today before lunch. It is called the Feleti Barstow library and is only about 30 minutes away. The library on the island is pretty good. The staff are great. They have a great children’s room, and Michael always likes getting new books out. We always come back with armfuls of books which always seem to need returning much too soon.
Anyway, this is the first time we had gone as a whole family so I had strapped the two girls into the double stroller so that they could be contained. Michael went off to get books and I took the kids to the children’s book. They have some really big books for reading to large groups of kids, so I picked up a stack and started reading to the girls in the stroller. By the 2nd or 3rd book, Hannah and Daniel came to sit and listen. By the 4th or 5th book, a couple of Samoan children had joined us. By the 6th or 7th book, Matthew, Benjamin, and about 8 or 9 Samoan kids were added to our group. Before I knew it, I was reading to a group of over 20 kids! I kept looking around and all the other parents were smiling at me and nodding, I guess they wanted me to keep reading! The kids were so interested and followed along so well. We had a great time. I read books to them for about half an hour and then we got up to leave.
As we were leaving, the children’s librarian came over to shake my hand and thank me. I guess that on Saturday mornings, there is reading time at the library from 11 – 11.30am, and we had arrived right before that. I had just sat down and started reading to my kids, oblivious to this weekly reading event, and since all the Samoan kids were listening and enjoying themselves so much, the librarian decided not to interrupt or tell me about it, and just let me take over her reading time for her! I wonder if the Samoan parents thought I was a guest speaker or something! I was a little bit embarrassed, but the librarian was very happy. I guess she needed a break! We still left pretty quickly in case she asked me to volunteer! No more regular commitments for me, thank you.
monsonmadness 
Haaa!! Halfway through reading this I was thinking “I bet they’ll ask her to volunteer to do a story time!”
By: Lori on October 29, 2011
at 3:02 pm
That is awesome!! And I had the same thought as Lori 🙂 Good thinking getting out of there fast.
By: Christie on October 29, 2011
at 6:25 pm
I love going to the library. Growing up we would go the library once a week. I still go once a week. I need my supply of books. If I bought all the books I read we would be in the poor house.
By: Susan crane on November 1, 2011
at 3:49 am