by Steven Engelfried
I should have known better. I did know better. I just got caught up in the moment, and said the four words you should never, ever say when sharing stories with a group of four year olds: “How old are you?” I didn’t actually use those precise words, but the result was still instant chaos. I was visiting a Head Start class to share stories and library information in what I hoped was a fun way. First I asked them to raise their hand if they’ve been to a library before. To be exact, I said “if you’ve ever been to a library before, please raise your hand.” Because I knew that if you do it the opposite way and say “please raise your hand if you been to a library before,” you’re sure to get ten raised hands before you even get to the “if” in the sentence. When you’re four, raising your hand is something you want to do at every opportunity.
So with that hurdle cleared, I showed them what a library card looks like. Actually it was my frog puppet who showed them, and only after first bringing out a little fish puppet by mistake (“kids, can you check out books with a fish?”, followed by a chorus of “no’s,” which is about as fun as raising your hand when four) and then, after a mock-scolding from me, Frog brings out a banana (even funnier than the fish), before finally locating an actual card. So things are going pretty well. My punch lines are getting laughs. The kids are responding to questions, but not getting out of control.
All I need to do now is to get them excited about getting their own card, but not too excited, since they may not be old enough yet in the eyes of the grownups in their house. I tell them that a library card is free, and that there’s an application that can be filled out by their mom or dad or “whoever takes care of them” (which I add every time, from past experience). And then for some unfathomable reason I say that “some families decide to get kids a card when they’re 8 or 10, but some might decide that 4 or 5 is old enough.” And just like that, I’ve lost them. All they care about now is telling me a) how old they are; b) how old they used to be; c) how old they will be soon; and/or d) how old their brother/sister/dog/cat is/was/will be. Which would all be very interesting, because I really do enjoy talking to four year olds; just not twenty at once.
Last time I made this slip I thought fast and quickly drew Frog out of the bag again. (I know I rely too frequently on puppets to save me, but they often come through. I have a sheep with googly eyes that I’m convinced could talk me out of a speeding ticket or an IRS audit). In this case, Frog’s help was short-lived. He drew their attention (he’s good at that), and when I asked them all to be very quiet so Frog could tell us how old he was, there was silence and anticipation, so I thought I had escaped. The problem was, Frog eventually had to state his age, and as soon as he did (“two,” in case you were wondering), the cacophony of “I’m four,” “My brother’s two,” etc. kicked in all over again.
So on this more recent occasion, I kept Frog in the bag, and just waited until everyone settled down and I could find a moment to start my last story (“The Wide-Mouthed Frog” with puppets, a sure winner), and all was fine. My lesson was learned, and for the following weeks I’ve been careful to use “older kids” and “younger kids” and steer clear of actual ages. Now if I can just find a way to get through I’m the Biggest Thing in the Ocean without one child (followed by several others) bursting to tell us all how he saw that undersea animal on SpongeBob…
Angela
Steven you should keep that sheep puppet in your car. I’ve no doubt you could use it in emergency situations!
Steven
Maybe so. If only he knew how to change a tire too (although I guess that’s too much to ask, since he’s one of those puppets without any arms…)
Diane
OMG, I am laughing out loud. Thanks so much for the peek into youth librarians’ daily lives! Maybe the frog wants to serve on an ALSC committee?
Clare
🙂 Pretty great! Thanks for sharing the story.
however, great job of building self-esteem and confidence in a public setting, though – since they all seemed totally confident with having their correct answers on hand and ready to share!
But I guess “too bad for you though”, that you had a different script or timing in mind for the day! To paraphase one of Park’s Junie B Jones favorite phrases, which my niece and probably countless other youngsters have now assimmilated into their everyday language! I chuckle every time I hear it.
Ellen Doray MLS/
Not so fast Froggy! My wish is that every child on the planet is granted a library card at birth…not so…my husband and I have moved recently, previous town…one library card per address. So, if your cousin who lived with you did not return his/her book. they flagged the card and you could not borrow until the matter was resolved. New town, I have not been granted a library card because so far the bills for our new address are in my husband’s name! I like the library world you live in better.
Peggy Sullivan
Thanks for this! I really enjoyed it! It reminded me of a time — some 50 years ago, when I was a children’s librarian at the Enoch Pratt Free Library and visited one of the seventeen schools assigned to the branch where I worked. The former children’s librarian had not always visited, but I tried to get to each school twice a year — but I was there only one year! — so they loved to see me come.
After I had talked about several books to a fourth grade class and had talked about how to get library cards, get to the library, etc., someone started a chain of “Miss Sullivan, I read — [you name it — LAD, A DOG, HENRY HUGGINS, ANNE OF GREEN GABLES, etc.], and I responded politely to the first few, then saw that almost all the hands were up and I had to go on to all those other classes. So I said, “Now, I do want to answer your questions, but I also have to move on. I’m glad to know you’ve read so many books, but now — are there any questions?” Most hands went down, but the first child I called on had hers ready: “Did you know I read BETSY-TACY AND TIB?”
I have filled in the details I had forgotten all these years later, but I trust you get the picture! Cheers!
Mary
You’ve described EXACTLY what happens to me every day! My outreach program brings storytimes to Head Starts and Preschools, and if I mention any number between 2 and 6, we all have discuss how old we are. It also happens a lot if we’re reading a book that pictures or mentions a letter in a child’s name (“that’s MY letter!”)Often there is one child who MUST tell you something IMMEDIATELY, but luckily I’ve found that asking them to hold onto their thought (I usually motion putting it in my pocket) and tell me at the end works as a distraction. Often by the time storytime is over, they’ve forgotten. Often, but not always. But if they HAVE managed to hold onto their thought until the end, I will definitely take the time to listen.
Preschoolers are wonderful.
Carolanne Blender
I am part of Spellbinders, a non-profit volunteer organization that tells stories (vs reading the books aloud). Your experiences and tips are terrific and I will share them at our Story Circles. Thanks. Thanks also to Mary for her tip.