On Young Children

Okay, so for the past two weeks, I’ve been planning a book review of the book “Black Ants and Buddhists” by Mary Cowhey. I’m still planning it, read the book, outlined some points and it sits alone (not even in a pile) on my desk. Have I written it? No! What has happened? Life, liberty and the pursuit of home maintenance! I was away for two weeks the end of June, and home for three weeks before a trip that begins tomorrow — plenty of time, right? Nope again! We live in a 110 year old home located in New England. That means that home maintenance happens sometime between May 15 and Oct 15 depending on the whim of the weather. So you call all those maintenance guys and schedule what seems a reasonable distance between each — then what happens? The weather – first it’s rainy, then it’s a 100 degrees and so they all show up on the same day. Some of you are having a laugh because you’re talented enough to do all this yourself (actually I don’t know too many people who would clean third floor 100 year old windows on a ladder outdoors). But I’m not. So the book review will be forthcoming. It really is a good read. I will try to be on time next week! Well, okay, maybe the book review will happen the week after that, considering I’m in Denver at a family Bat Mitzvah (but we won’t go into that saga as yet!).

Probably seems an odd topic for a hot – scalding hot day actually – summer day in New England, but it’s related. I went to the opening of a new little room in our town’s public library called the “PictureBook Room” last night. Our library is in a very old Victorian home, and even with opening the main spaces; there are some odd little side rooms. They were able to move a librarian’s office and put in a space specifically for the young child. It has its own bathroom awash in a cute mural done by a local artisan volunteer. There are little chairs and tables and places to read and be read to. What’s the relationship to a hot summer day? It was an unusually hot June day – 102 degrees and high humidity. In a small town (pop. 17,000) with a large population who live at or below the poverty line; it was joyfully clear to me that many families had come for after dinner book readings in a place that was not only new and crisply clean, but really cool as well (in more ways than one if you were three and trying out the new little rockers just your size). I oohed and ahhed of course; but mainly left being reminded how important libraries really are to access to not only information and the written word, but shared experiences with other readers of all ages. Libaries very well could be the best community center there is for young children and those who care for them.