Max bolted out of the car. His mess of brown curls bouncing on his head as his tiny feet propelled him to the glass doorway. I quickly followed, pushing the stroller with Harper’s tiny head bobbing back and forth in the seat. As the glass doors glided open I took a deep breath and reminded Max that he was to be quiet while inside. He nodded trying to look serious but his excitement was barely contained. We had already discussed the importance of visiting the fish tank before we took care of our official business and so we made our way over to the wall where it stood.
Max pointed out the large goldfish to Harper and discussed the merits of the blue stones versus the purple stones that filled the bottom of the tank. We pointed and watched the fish as they silently glided back and forth oblivious to our presence. Max looked up at me and I asked him if he was ready and he nodded.
We walked to the long, tall counter that had a single woman standing behind it. Her quiet face and long brown hair peeking over the top. “May I help you?” Max shimmied up next to me and looked up, unsure of how to answer. “Yes Ma’am, we are here for a library card.” She stared down at Max “Are you five years old sweetie?” Max nodded as a big grin split across his face. The woman quickly brightened up and handed me a small form, “okay Mom, just fill this out, make sure he signs it and when you are ready to check out bring it back with you. He is allowed seven books for his first visit”.
Max and I completed the short form with him purposefully signing his name at the bottom and then we headed for the shelves of books. Oh, the possibilities were endless. Snakes, spaceships, Star Wars, Spiderman, he wanted them all and yet didn’t want to waste a single selection on something he might not like. In the end we settled on two Star Wars books, a Spiderman, a book on snakes and a story book about pandas. We placed our books on the counter with the form and waited as the librarian gently scanned each book and then issued Max his library card.
Max skipped out of the library and as we got back in the car he asked me “can I look at my books RIGHT NOW mama?” I gently handed him his bag of books and climbed into the front seat. As I watched him pour over his selections I realized that the day he gets his driver’s license could not possibly be any better than the day he got his library card.
Love it! I was such a library freak as a kid, always checking out the maximum number, especially in the summer. Library = Boxcar Kids, Babysitters Club, and Goosebumps.
This is priceless. Thank you, Beth.
Bethie, this is your best blog yet! I loved it, loved it, loved it! Print a copy for his baby book! Too precious. I was in the second grade when I was taken for my first visit to the Emily Fowler Public Library in Denton, Texas. To this day, I still remember the smell of all those books concentrated in one place and the thrill of knowing I could read as many as I could devour! It was one of the most memorable days in my life.
Beth – A marvelous milestone for sure. I see a lifelong reader ahead. It’s wonderful to have such ceremony and excitement associated with the magical place that is a library. Congrats to Max! -Alexandra
Oh my goodness! Taryn just got hers last week, and it was truly magical. Library books are even more delightful when they’re checked out on your own card instead of Mama’s!