Library of Wonder

 Our grade school library at Crestwood was a window into the world of wonder.  At first glance, it appeared rather small and crowded with books that kind of smelled dank and old.  Upon further investigation, these hidden treasures unlocked the door of knowledge, imagination, and creative thought.

It was on these shelves that I discovered books such as  Curious George, JFK and PT109, Denny McLean 31-6, and Rifles for Wattie.  The following is why these titles have stood out to me all these years:

At a very early age, the Curious George book series was an introduction to animation portraying life situations.  Curious George was a monkey who challenged your imagination to expand and grow.

The JFK and PT109 book was my very first book report.  It was a fascinating historical look at former President John Fitzgerald Kennedy's time during his military service.  He was involved in a torpedo boat accident where he saved a lot of lives at great risk to his personal health.

Denny McLean's 31-6 was a sports book detailing a major league pitcher's journey where he won 31 games in a single season.  Even though the accomplishment wasn't very old at the time, it was a new revelation to me.

The last book I remember well was a Civil War novel called Rifles for Wattie.  This 600 page book was a behemoth that I tried to read several times, but never was able to get through.  It was so boring, but I kept challenging myself to read it as though I would receive a Cub Scout merit badge for finishing it.

There were so many other books that captured your attention and distracted you from long Winters as you waited for Spring.  The little library ironically was the place we had all of our class pictures taken as well.  And if you look closely at those photos, you just might see a Curious George book in the background.

Comments

  1. Nancy in MinnesotaJanuary 10, 2021 at 1:57 PM

    Funny, I remember the Crestwood library feeling large, at least in comparison to the classrooms. I loved when our classes were dropped in the library so our teachers could have some prep time. I don't remember an actual librarian, but I remember my friend's mom was a regular volunteer helper - Mrs. Novy. Libraries in those days were quiet, but a student could wander around freely and discover new worlds through literature. Books that stood out to me were all of Dr. Suess's large format books and, yes, Curious George when I was young. As I got older, I fell in love with the adventures of the Swiss Family Robinson and the pre-teen crushes within Beverly Cleary's novels. I hated when library time was over and we had to go back to math lessons in the classroom.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Mary AJanuary 24, 2021 at 8:05 AM

    I love this memory about our first exposure to libraries!
    Sue Miller's Mom used to check out my books. Remember the inside flap used to have a card that you would sign and then they would stamp a date when it was due? What girl could ever forget, "Are you there God? It's me Margaret."

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