Monday, April 18, 2016

Down The Rabbit Hole

This week, every blog post will be about libraries...

Growing up in rural Iowa in the 1950's, the library came to us. It was a very special event -- every-other-Wednesday it came to the very small town of McCausland, Iowa.  It is thrilling to me that this program still exists.

The Bookmobile, based in Eldridge, Iowa, visits rural areas six days a week.
But so much has changed. Today's library is nothing like the library of my childhood.

Libraries are no longer just about reading books...OH NO...they have CD books, and movies, and puzzles and art...And -- Holy Cow -- THEY HAVE EVENTS...and programs...and interactive ways to learn new things and connect with the world.

When Lilly was four years old, I took her to her first Library event. At our local library, in Princeton (it used to be the bank)...

It was an event about a local woman who rescues animals...
A random picture I took that day -- the library is across the street from the bank. On the other side if the bank is the Mississippi River...
This wasn't Lilly's first visit to the Library -- but it is the one she will remember for the rest of her life...
The woman brought dogs, cats, rabbits (lots of them), and other assorted critters...Lilly was SO EXCITED...
She talked about kindness...
People get strange animals as pets, then realize how much work pet ownership can be..and the animals are often abandoned.
This tortoise had been living in an apartment bath tub.
Lilly COULD NOT WAIT for her turn at petting a rabbit!!
Nobody does quality programming for children better than YOUR LOCAL LIBRARY. And every event I've ever attended has been FREE.

IT IS AMAZING, REALLY, when you think about it... Warren enjoys the Wednesday morning toddler play group at our local library, my niece Kelcy takes her pre-school children to the Friday afternoon craft day activity at her local library.

They do Easter Egg hunts, Christmas decoration projects, weekly Lego clubs, after-school programs...!!

If you are lucky enough to have a child in your life -- TAKE HIM/HER TO THE LIBRARY!! 

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