When it comes to story time with my daughter Sophie, I’m kind of a pro.
Every night, we grab a couple books, sometimes the same ones night after night if that’s what she asks for, and snuggle down for some relaxing time before bed.
A few of her favorites are My Cat, Coon Cat, Hop on Pop and Are You My Mother? There’s also Gossie & Gertie, The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Barnyard Dance. I could keep listing others, but we only have so much space on this page and I’ve got to get to my point eventually.
I do different voices for different characters and some of the stories are read in song. You can say I really get into it. At least my 19-month-old seems to be entertained.
But I haven’t spent much time reading in front of large groups since probably high school and back then it was not exactly my favorite thing to do. You know, us reporters like to stay behind the scenes and draw as little attention to ourselves as possible.
Sometimes, though, you’ve got to step out of your comfort zone and what better way than to read to a group of young children who aren’t quite trained in the fine art of heckling.
So I made my way to the Concord Public Library last Wednesday morning for family story time. It’s held every Wednesday at 9:30 a.m., so I wasn’t sure what the crowd would be like. How many people have Wednesday mornings off? The answer is a lot because it was big. Linda Jones, who runs the hourlong group each week, counted 24 children and 18 adults. Talk about a big audience to try and keep engaged.
I brought in a couple of Sophie’s favorites, Hop on Pop and Gossie & Gertie, and sat down on the magic carpet (my term). When I read at home, Sophie follows along, but here I had to not only read upside down, which is not all that easy, but show off the illustrations, panning from one side of the room to the other.
Gossie & Gertie, a story about two goslings, was first, followed by Hop on Pop. You got to love the Dr. Seuss classics.
I made it through without any major word slips or big yawns from the crowd. The kids seemed to enjoy the two stories, some of who had heard them before, and a few parents even told me I did a good job – including Jon’s girlfriend, Aimee. Jones even invited me back to do it again.
Who knows when I’ll make another guest appearance, but that shouldn’t keep you from checking out family story time at the library. It’s held each Wednesday for one hour starting at 9:30 a.m., and there’s lots more than just stories. There’s songs, dancing, coloring and plenty of opportunities for play.
It sure looks like a lot of fun – for the kids, of course.
