Ride along with us!
Clamber up, clap your hands, and cool off.
Read all about last month’s Storytime in the Park with Ms. Sara!
The Bookmobile's blue and orange frame emerged through the trees as I drove on up to the Hoppy Shores Playground area of Coonskin Park on West Virginia Day. Sporting colorful athletic pants and a Summer Library Club t-shirt, Elk Valley Branch Children's Specialist Sara Caswell was already starting to break a sweat at 10:15 AM, a bluetooth speaker spouting fun children's sing-a-longs as she finished setting up for her first Storytime in the Park of 2024.
Sara used to do storytimes with the old Bookmobile when it would come to Coonskin Park before the COVID pandemic and was interested in starting them up again with the new Bookmobile this summer. As the sun continued to bear down, families started showing up, including some of Sara's Elk Valley Branch regulars. They sat on the nearby park benches or on Sara's circular mats on the pavement, squeezing into the patches of shade made by the parked Bookmobile and its awning.
Unlike the other adults, I didn't have a child with me, but I definitely accessed my inner child as Sara got us to warm up our hands and feet with a few rhyme games. After handing out pieces of paper with a picture of a button on it, she read Bill Cotter's "Don't push the button!," in which we learned what happened to Larry when we pushed the button, even though we weren't supposed to!
Sara is such an engaging storyteller and storytime guide; I understood why her regulars braved the heat wave! I joined in on all the clapping, stomping, and gasping while young ones stared at me in disbelief. Then we went on an adventure in which we spotted purple cats, blue horses, and even a sloth, and finally Sara read a Mo Willems book in which we found out why Leonardo was such a terrible monster, but also a great friend.
Afterwards, folks cooled off in the air-conditioned Bookmobile, catching up with Bookmobile Services Coordinator Lynn McCallister and Specialist Mary Hudnall and checking out books. Lynn got to hold a newborn babe, and a particularly tuckered out toddler enjoyed a welcome reprieve from the heat.
The Bookmobile has a regular route of public stops this summer, which includes Coonskin Park on Thursdays from 10 AM to 1 PM and the Kanawha Mall near the DMV on Mondays from 10 AM to 1 PM. In the Bookmobile, you can do everything you can do at a branch library: get or renew your library card, check out a book, place or pick-up holds, or sign-up for Summer Library Club. Step on up or use our chairlift and cool off with a fun and cozy book sometime soon!
Don't miss Ms. Nina's storytime on July 11 and Ms. Sara's next storytime on July 18, 10:30 - 11:30 AM, with the Bookmobile near the Hoppy Shores Playground area of Coonskin Park! Bring a chair, a blanket, an umbrella, and a cool drink, and get ready to go on an adventure!
View the Bookmobile’s route of public stops here. Interested in having the Bookmobile visit your daycare, assisted living facility, or other community venue during the 2024-2025 school year? Contact Lynn McCallister or Assistant Director Sarah Mitchell for more information.
Text and photography © Jai Arun Ravine (2024)