You might guess that I practiced what I preach with this blog title, and I would encourage you to practice it as well. This significant day is set for February 2nd, but even the officials allow you to adjust the date to your schedule. Once again, I am letting you know ahead of time so you can be prepared. If your child is too old to take, just borrow a grandchild or a young neighbor. We lived at Fort Sam Houston, Texas when our three were of taking age, and we made trips to the library a treat. Later on, we lived at other Army bases when the kids were more independent. The habit had been formed, and they found the library for themselves.
This library had the fine policy of issuing individual library cards. We made a family celebration of a trip to the library to get one’s own card when each child could read a book independently. For this story, I will focus on the middle girl child since she gives a good example of life-changing things that can happen when you make it a policy to take a child to the library. First of all, Anna was determined to learn to read. Let me tell you, with this one, whatever she set her mind to do would be done.
At four, she met the criteria of reading her book independently, and we set out to get her official library card. She carried it in her hand as she did her usual lengthy perusal to select her books. Stymied by a line at the checkout counter, she opened one of her chosen books and began to read aloud. (Silent reading would come later.) The man waiting in front of us turned back to me and asked in an accusatory tone, “How old is she anyway?” Evidently, he thought there was an age requirement for learning to read as there is for driver’s licenses and adult beverages.
Anna became an avid reader, a common happening with children who are taken to the library. In this case, there were a couple of other results. My gifts from her on occasions that call for one are often picture books. And should you happen to be traveling near or living in Marshall, TX, drop by the Marshall Public Library and say hello to the director who happens to be Anna Butler Lane. Just to check my truthfulness, you might ask if her mother ever took her to the library.