Yesterday, I was The Reading Police. I stepped into the towns bookstore. It wasn’t Barnes and Noble or any other chain. This was a quaint, amply stocked store with the ambiance of a library. For any reader, a sort of intellectual sanctuary.
I picked up a book or two, children’s of course and read it. I read and then It’s spring by Julie Fogliano. Erin Stead is the Illustrator. I was impressed and inspired by both the words and the pictures. I absolutely will want to purchase this book at some point. If I write a children’s book one day, among others, it will be one like this that I would say influenced me.
Oh, the police part, I saw not a child, not a mother, nor grandparent anywhere in the bookstore. This was not pleasing to me. As it was mid-morning during the week on a sunny day, I shall grant pardon, but otherwise, I’d like to see a weekly story reading hour and such. Come ‘on now! Get reading! ;)
I agree – if book stores had story times, it would encourage visitors as well as a love for books and reading in the young ones. Reading is so important as a good reader often does well at school.