The Library is a Magic Door

By Jan Pease
As children, moms, and dads poured into the library for Toddler Time last Wednesday, one of my co-workers overheard a small child exclaim, “The Library has a magic door! I do magic! Of course, we know that it was really the door opener, pushed by a little hand that opened the door, but what a great thought. The library has a magic door; the library is a magic door.

I wrote this essay on Saturday, after we finished an exciting week here at the library. On Wednesday, 29 children, moms and dads came to Toddler Time. On Thursday evening, 44 children, moms and dads came to the library for a Head Start field trip. On Friday, 36 children, moms and dads came to Preschool Story Hour. All of these families are making a big investment of time and energy in their children’s lives and deserve a round of applause. They are introducing their children to the wonder and magic of books.

Our spring story times have centered on nonfiction books. Animals are always an interesting subject to talk about with young children. This week we learned about Pandas and enjoyed a book with life-size pictures of zoo animals. I was amazed at how much these young children already know. We listened to animal sounds and the children recognized all of them except the zebras, who have a very strange call a combination whinny/bark.

I’m excited about story hour on Friday, April 20th. PAK, (Parents And Kids) a local group of parents and children who get together for interesting times and look for ways to serve our community, is coming to present a special story hour about Earth Day. PAK also has activities planned for Saturday, the 21st and the PAK parents will explain all about them. By the way, Earth Day is observed on Sunday, April 22nd.

Finally, the phrase “the library has a magic door,” rattled around in my head all week. I knew it from somewhere, but who said it? I finally found a small book by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who wrote the Sherlock Holmes mysteries, in which he describes the books in his personal library. The title of the book is “Through the Magic Door,” and you can read it online at books.google.com, as it hasn’t been in print for about 60 years. He describes each book in his personal library as an old friend, in a surprisingly chatty work that gives a glimpse of a creative and educated mind. I wish I were as well-read.

I would go on from there to say that the library is a magic door. I hope that the children who walked through our door this week will always have a love of literature and learning. I’m glad that the library is a magic place for them and for me, too. See you at the library!