Joy of Joys

I had the best evening! I have just started my job as a Librarian at our local library and tonight was the first time I got to work the children's library by myself. It was late on a Thursday night so I only had a couple of patrons through (albeit a couple of the cutest patrons EVER).

And I got to reacquaint myself with one of my favorite places on the face of the planet!! The children's stacks.

From my own youth (even though at a different library), to my kids' youth, to even some of my friends' grandkids, strolling through the the categories of books is like opening a book of magic spells that transports me through time...

PICTURE BOOKS!!!
I wandered through picture books land or, as it's known in our library, easy readers, searching out that glorious spine sticker that proclaimed Caldacott Award winner! Does anyone else do this?

I found my first, most beloved, Caldacott

I found the book that never ceases to move me to awe at the beauty of the pictures. Over and over. AND I personally own 3 copies of this...

I have Caldi's that I've only recently learned of, but that I long to be able to sit before an audience of 4 year olds and read...

And I even have a one degree of separation from a Caldacott winner in PERSON!!

These memories.... They are a tangible thing. I can smell my youth, I can feel it, I can recall emotion surrounding it. All at the initiation of a book. On a shelf.

But these stunning award winners didn't catch my entire time.. I found one of the books I adored reading over and over to my kids, and my niece and nephew, and the neighbor kids... you get it. I like this book!

I've always quoted the Robin... Cheerio, cheerup, cheerily!

The nostalgia was so over powering it hurt!! It was physical!

And I"ve not even started on the readers! Wasn't it the coolest when you moved on to CHAPTER BOOKS!! I ran my fingertips over the perfectly flush rows of spines until I happened upon the book I checked out every summer to kick off my vacation...

The Black Stallion




















Misty of Chincoteague

















Bright of the Grand Canyon

(yes there was a pattern there)

Until I progressed later in the break to such pieces as

Little Women

And the indulgence of Beverly Cleary




















So many many more too!! And I came away with two big realizations...
One.. Seeing these books on a screen, a computer, tablet, tv or whatever has no where near the power of in person!! Being face to face with them was super-sensory!! And nearly happy tear-jerking!

And.. I WANT TO SHARE THEM!! I want to help someone else discover the magic of a young boy befriending a huge rouge horse on a shipwreck island, I want someone else to find a place in their house to set up a writing area to pretend to be Jo, and I want someone else to see the bedraggled dog slinking across the street and wonder is THAT Ribsy?.. I'll share them with anyone, I'm not picky!

My job simply rules... no doubt about it!