In the beginning

I love books. Plain and simple.

I was that kid in elementary school who would read for an hour on the schoolbus on the way home.

I was that kid who the librarians knew by name -- AND they knew which book I would be requesting next in whatever series I was reading.

I was that kid who, on summer break, would rather take a blanket out to the yard and read the day away while my friends planned trips to the beach or amusement park.

I am that adult who received a Kindle for Christmas a year and a half ago and am proud to admit I have not bought a single book for it. All of the many many many books I've read have been Amazon freebies or borrowed from the library.

I have two toddlers of my own that I love to read to.

I worked in shipping and receiving at a bookstore for five years, and as a part-time elementary school secretary for almost three.

So this new job that I have held for about three months seems to be a perfect fit for me. I am considered a "Youth Services Paraprofessional" at my local library, which basically means I get to hang out with kids and read to kids and plan kids programs and read kids books. All the time.

I also enjoy writing. And I know there are many other youth librarians out there who are just starting out and looking for program ideas, as well as seasoned staff who are looking for new ideas.

So I decided to start this blog as a way to record the things I do in my job. Be that a list of books and songs and rhymes for storytime, an image of a bulletin board I've created, or reflections on the programming during my very first Summer Reading Program (eek!).

If someone actually reads and subscribes to this little blog, great. If no one does and it's simply a record of what I've done, great. :) I love to read, and I love to write. And I love kids. And I love chocolate.