Miss Amy's Story Time at the Library

A Library is Full of Books and Adventures

I get all warm and fuzzy when I'm in a book store, or a library these days.

For me, it began a long time ago, when mama took us to the children's room of the Coshocton Public Library for the Saturday morning book readings by Miss Amy.

I remember feeling the anticipation start to build, the moment Mama opened the heavy oak door and herded all of us into the enormous entrance lobby.

In my imagination, this was a revered ceremony.  The opening of the huge door was our grand entrance to a castle of suspense and mystery, and we held the keys to its treasure, the books themselves.

The last and most sacred part of the ceremony was when Mama finally cautioned, "Shhh, remember, only our quiet voices, please." 

With each step up to the main room, past the formidable librarian at her desk, there was even more expectation, as I tried to envision what adventure Miss Amy would take us on that morning.

Walking through the library, the towering shelves rose to the ceiling on either side of me. Rows and rows of books were visible in every direction I turned and the vision always filled me with awe and wonder. Stories and adventures were everywhere, and I wanted to hear them all!

In the children's book room, Miss Amy sat, waiting, in her usual rocking chair. The chosen book was in her lap and her hands rested upon it, as she waited for the oval rug in front of her to fill with children. I sat quietly, struggling hard to contain my excitement.

Miss Amy's Story Time

What book had she chosen to read? Where would this new adventure take me? Would it be sad, or funny, or maybe even filled with ... DANGER?

I knew it didn't really matter.  I would ride on Miss Amy's words to anywhere and everywhere the author took me, until the very last page.

Then suddenly, it was time. Miss Amy welcomed us to Story Time, watching our eager faces, as she slowly opened the book to the first page.

With the very first sentence, I was captured.  As the magic unfolded, I was no longer me, sitting on a rug in the children's room of the public library. I was inside the book, living through her words, and transported to another time and place.

That's when I knew ... I wanted to be an author and write books.

Realizing my Dream

In June of 2000, I finally realized that dream.  But I still remember the wonder and awe I found as a child, every time I'm in a library, or bookstore.  (And it's always special, when some of the books I'm surrounded by are mine).

Now I know the joy Miss Amy felt, while doing her Story Time readings. I've grown addicted to seeing that same magic in the faces of children when I do a school visit, as they live within my words.



“A writer soon learns that easy to read is hard to write.” ~CJ Heck