Hopewell Public Library
I was honored to to be asked to help kick off the summer reading program for Hopewell Public Library. Since the theme is "Make a Splash" this year, my book is a good fit. I hadn't done a program that revolved around this book in ages. Since it's summer and school just ended for the kids, I wanted to make it extra fun. The kids got to see some very cool sand sculptures (every child- no matter how young- recognized Darth Vader and Shrek), made edible sand art, and, among other things, created an origami whale. I met such nice kids and my first Miley! I have a feeling that an onslaught of Miley's will start appearing in Kindergarten classes in a year or two.
Here's a picture of the library. It was teeny tiny but cozy and filled with lots of eager readers and smiling librarians. I had to lug my stuff up 25 teeny tiny winding steps. Eek! Lucky for me, one of the trustees offered to help. THANK YOU!
I got the picture online. They actually had the entrance all decked out to celebrate the summer reading program. They had festive tables set up outside where the kids registered for the program and then headed up to see me.
Hopewell is only 12 miles away from me but an area I'm not too familiar with. It is so sweet and charming! There's a lovely Main Street that sees lots of foot traffic. Mayberry! I miss having a Main Street where I live. Look at the cute cafe next door. Some of the parents dropped their kids off and had lunch there.
When I left, I saw/heard a parent at the cafe toasting her daughter on how hard she worked in first grade this year. Sweet.
While I met lots of kids today, here's one boy who stayed with me for two hours! He helped with my set up and lent a hand when I had to pack everything away and face THE STEPS again. What a super kid! Of course I let him make extra edible sand art. He also won a copy of my book. We had lots of time to chat and before he left, I helped him find some Gary Paulsen books since he loves adventure. Since he had never heard of GP before, he immediately opened his laptop and googled him! Too cute!
Two odd coincidences: The lovely librarian, Lorraine, used to work at my old school. She was there three years before I started in 1988. A small world! Even smaller? I drove around the corner to find a parking spot when I spotted my friend, Sue, and her daughter. We worked at Liberty Corner together and had our kids at the same time. I recognized her walk from 30 feet away! While I knew she lived in Hopewell, it was a total surprise and treat to see her.
It may be a small library but it packs a punch! Lots of great programming. Kudos to Lorraine and the staff!
Here's a picture of the library. It was teeny tiny but cozy and filled with lots of eager readers and smiling librarians. I had to lug my stuff up 25 teeny tiny winding steps. Eek! Lucky for me, one of the trustees offered to help. THANK YOU!
I got the picture online. They actually had the entrance all decked out to celebrate the summer reading program. They had festive tables set up outside where the kids registered for the program and then headed up to see me.
Hopewell is only 12 miles away from me but an area I'm not too familiar with. It is so sweet and charming! There's a lovely Main Street that sees lots of foot traffic. Mayberry! I miss having a Main Street where I live. Look at the cute cafe next door. Some of the parents dropped their kids off and had lunch there.
When I left, I saw/heard a parent at the cafe toasting her daughter on how hard she worked in first grade this year. Sweet.
While I met lots of kids today, here's one boy who stayed with me for two hours! He helped with my set up and lent a hand when I had to pack everything away and face THE STEPS again. What a super kid! Of course I let him make extra edible sand art. He also won a copy of my book. We had lots of time to chat and before he left, I helped him find some Gary Paulsen books since he loves adventure. Since he had never heard of GP before, he immediately opened his laptop and googled him! Too cute!
Two odd coincidences: The lovely librarian, Lorraine, used to work at my old school. She was there three years before I started in 1988. A small world! Even smaller? I drove around the corner to find a parking spot when I spotted my friend, Sue, and her daughter. We worked at Liberty Corner together and had our kids at the same time. I recognized her walk from 30 feet away! While I knew she lived in Hopewell, it was a total surprise and treat to see her.
It may be a small library but it packs a punch! Lots of great programming. Kudos to Lorraine and the staff!