Day 28: Kew Library - Where he'd rather be #30days30libraries
Tucked between the shops by the station (and looking a lot like a shop itself) you'll find Kew Library.It's the smallest that I've visited, but also felt like the busiest.
There was barely a patch of carpet left in the children's section (located by the window, at the front.) My nephew plonked himself down in the only remaining plot and we began turning pages. There were so many adults there reading aloud to entranced faces that there was a pleasant hum, layered with voices, all around us.This was also the site where I feel pretty certain my nephew said 'goggles' for the first time.
When we'd finished, we passed the book to the child sitting next to us. It was a popular title, so much so that someone had taken a bite out of it.
As we were leaving, a storytime started up and through the window we saw a boy press his nose against the window, desperate to join in. He had to be lured away by his mother but we were all under no illusions about where he'd rather be.
Day 26: Norfolk & Norwich Millennium Library - This one's for sharing #30days3olibraries
"This one's for sharing," a mum tells her son and daughter.They sit side by side, leafing through the book in front of them. Taking turns to turn the pages.Their dad's gone to the adult library to look for a novel.Their mum's checking books out on the self service machine.Their grandparents sit quietly beside them.There's the hum of play, noise and chatter from the children's library next door. It's sealed from where they are sitting by a curved wooden wall, with large porthole-like windows.
Moving further from them still, the space expands into an echoey cathedral-like space with a glass, vaulted ceiling.
But the children are entranced by the pages.Their family surrounds them, and they read on.
Day 25: Felixstowe Library - I just really enjoyed seeing you here today #30days30libraries
Felixstowe Library was home to the children's portion of the Felixstowe book festival today.
The morning kicked off with the brilliant, Carnegie medal-winning author Tanya Landman.We were all completely captivated by Tanya.The first question from the audience wasn't so much a question, but a statement of utter admiration and joy. The woman sitting next to me simply said to her, "Tanya, you talk so well, you write so well. I just really enjoyed seeing you here today."Afterwards I explored the display of 'These books are made for walking'. This project involved Year 8 students from Felixstowe Academy making 'walk-in books' - boxes that could include things such as pictures of a setting, characters, key words, interesting sentences and props. These were then given to Year 5 students from Cloneis Junior School who then delved into these 'walk-in books' to write their own stories.
Later in the afternoon, I was back for the 'Boy in the Tower' event.I was wowed by this display, complete with blue-glitter studded tin-foil bluchers and a rather stunning blucher throne!
One of the organisers told me, "we work with book groups in schools and so we have children coming to today's event who would not usually come to the festival."Afterwards one of them came up to speak to me."I was so excited to meet you today because I want to be an author too," she told me shyly. "I write things ... but I haven't finished anything yet."I told her that I hadn't finished anything when I was her age either.But if she really wanted to do it, never to give up.And one day I might be coming to see her at the festival.
Day 24: Wood Green Library - Full of light #30days30libraries
We woke up to a different country today.A divided nation.Like so many others, well in fact precisely 48.1% of the country, I was completely shocked to hear that the UK had voted to leave the European Union.Travelling to Wood Green Library this morning, I looked over at my fellow passengers in the tube carriage, I glanced at the faces I passed on the street.Were they thinking of this as well? Could they taste the change in the air too? Were they wondering, as I was, that we were more different to each other than we knew?Arriving into the library on this bright sunny morning, I felt both heartened and saddened when I came across these well-stocked shelves on the ground floor.
Wood Green Library was full of light today.The Haringey family of authors had come out in force.I was joined by multi-talented and very lovely Emer Stamp, the chuffing brilliant Karen McCombie and also the fabulous Fiona Dunbar.We all agreed it was a good thing that we had united today rather than being glued to computer screens, reeling in disbelief, and explored the bright, airy children's library together.
We met with Sean Williams and Etsuko Williams, the wonderful children's librarians in Haringey. Sean encouraged me to pop back to the Hornsey Library if I could as there was an exhibition of some brilliant children's work in the gallery space. It included a papermache model of Darwin's study, complete with creatures in jars, which he described in detail to us."You must see it, it's really amazing. They've taken such care with it."We also spoke to the librarians at the desk who told us a little more about what makes Wood Green special."We're very busy after school," one of the librarians told us. "We have lots of kids who come here and wait for their parents to finish work."I asked them if they got to know the same children."Oh yes, we know them by name. And we know their library card numbers by heart!"Hearing this, being here, being together, made the sadness ease just a little.
Day 23: Bethnal Green Library - Here's where you park your bikes #30days30libraries
Bethnal Green Library is insulated from the busy roads surrounding it thanks to its location on the outskirts of the Bethnal Green gardens.It gives it a little of a stately feel.
Two children riding puffed-up, plastic bikes were ahead of me, with their mother, and were welcomed into the library by one of staff.At first, I thought he was going to ask them to take the bikes outside but in the next moment, he was showing them where the 'parking spaces' were (in front of the information desk) and so they didn't get a ticket.Then he began passing them books out of the children's library.
The two children ran around in wild abandonment. The happiness of the librarian's welcome reflected back in their toothy, gaping smiles.I had to be the annoying person to ask him where I could work on a laptop and what the wifi password was but he broke off from the children to tell me where to go, what the magic word was.But before I'd turned away, he had already started reading to them.
Day 22: East Sheen Library - Welcome #30days30libraries
Despite the sign, I found it a little hard to find East Sheen Library. It's in the same building as a day centre and is situated in a cluster of similar looking buildings that also include a health centre and a clinic.
I was very glad to find it, thanks to the lovely open plan children's library which my nephew enjoyed exploring.Turns out I've trained him rather well ...
We met another of his friends there and after a good hour of crawling, climbing, pulling books off shelves, squeezing through gaps and escaping into the adult library, exploring the sound the book bin made when you hit it, not to mention reading, we'd worn ourselves out.Nephew and friend sat on one of the little stairs nibbling on rice cakes, looking blankly into the distance. Too tired to even hold his cup, my nephew took sips of water opening his mouth not unlike a baby bird."Do you think they are allowed to eat in here?" the mum I was with asked me.I might learn that eating is in fact a prohibited behaviour but after three weeks of visiting libraries, I answered, "That's the thing about libraries. As long as we clean up after ourselves, I'm sure they are welcome to."
Day 20: Ham Library - Libraries aren't like this in my country #30days30libraries
I spent most of my time in Ham Library making sure my nephew didn't poke a baby in its face in his excitement to say hello.It was fairly quiet in Ham Library today but the children's library was full. There were a few there like me - a child plus one.My nephew enjoyed driving the book bus a little too much (he couldn't stop frowning whenever anyone else had a go.)
I met an Italian nanny with 8-month-old Jackson."Libraries aren't like this in my country," she told me. "We don't have things for children to do. Not that's free. We come here every Monday for a class or we just visit today, to meet other children."My nephew again narrowly missed Jackson's eye waving hello to him while I gabbled away to the other nannies and mums.I'm not sure who was more pleased to see each other; the children or the grown-ups.
Day 6: Teddington Library - Her mind can go in every direction #30days30libraries
Brenda travels down from Newcastle every month to look after her granddaughter Sadie for a couple of days and always includes a library visit in their days together.
"I come here because there's so much that Sadie can do here. There's every book that you can think of, it's such a good selection.Every time she walks in, she goes straight up to the rug and goes round it saying every animal name that she knows. (A colourful oval rug stretches across most of the floor of the children's library illustrating different animals.) Or she might use some of those little seats to make a tower and then knock them down again."Brenda and Sadie did not realise however that there was also a garden that they could explore. I only knew because someone had tweeted me about it.
It was a small paradise.
I spoke to two women taking a break from their office on one of the benches, under a tree.One of them told me: "I use this library and that was how I knew about the garden."It did feel like it was a secret space, treasured by those who knew of its existence.The other woman explained she was big library user."I used to go all the time when my daughter is small - I went to classes and that kind of thing - and now that she is eight, she uses it for her work. I've banned Google for when she researches projects because I never knew what she might find. But in the library, her mind can go in every direction. She uses the encyclopaedias and discovers things that she never would if she just went online."Her friend added: "It's a safe space too. She can wander around it. And so children can be independent."As I left Teddington Library, Sadie had begun to run races with her grandma across the expanse of lawn.Her arms were spread out to her sides, as though she had no fear of falling.