AUTHOR AIMEE REID SHARES LIBRARY LOVE

Welcome to Library Lions interviews. Author Aimee Reid is stopping by LL this month to share her books and her Library Love.

Aimee is a mom, children’s author, former teacher, avid reader, and library lover. Her book, Mama’s Day with Little Gray is published by Random House Children’s Books. Aimee’s next book, Welcome to the World, will release from the Nancy Paulsen imprint of Penguin Random House.

School Visit

Library Love When I was a Cub
Thanks to the wonderful Beginners Books series from Random House and regular storytimes at home, I was reading when I entered Kindergarten. My teacher discovered this about me when she noticed me squatting by the classroom shelves, turning pages and moving my lips. She asked me to read the books to her, which I did. At first, she thought I had memorized them. Gradually, she realized that I had read all of the books in our classroom library.

[Beginners Books from Random House]

My teacher called home and arranged to take me to the bigger school library so that I could pick out more books to read. Wow! I clearly remember looking up, up, up at the tall shelves filled with books of every size and description. “How many books can I take out?” I shyly asked. “As many as you like, dear,” was the answer. I’ll always be grateful to that teacher for noticing my appetite for books and feeding it.

More Library Love
From the moment my first book sold, I knew that I wanted to have my book launch in a library. I wanted to throw a party to which everyone was welcome. I wanted to celebrate all that is good about connecting children with books. And my wonderful local library system said yes!

We had a wonderful time! Friends new and old enjoyed music from a local children’s musician. We read and made crafts and sang and rejoiced. So many people came to enjoy the fun that we couldn’t all fit in the room at once! No matter— we ran two programs so everyone could be included. This spirit of offering welcome to all is a key reason why I love libraries.

Author’s Roar
Libraries are equalizers. As a former teacher, I have at times been keenly aware of the disparity between the high level of resources–computers, books, and enrichment opportunities–available to some students from their homes versus the restricted supports available to others. I was proud to be a part of a public education system that offered learning for all regardless of socio-economic status. I can tell you this: books and access to knowledge are essential. We need to make certain that all students can readily find the resources they need to thrive. What better way to do this than to keep school libraries healthy and pay librarians to be the expert guides our children need? I am proud to roar out my support for libraries.

A Lion’s Pride of Programs

NYPL Lion

Libraries are places of discovery and opportunity. I enjoyed taking my children to story times when they were younger. Now that I am a children’s author, I love visiting libraries. My visits are highly interactive. After all, I learned from those wonderful librarians who entertained my children!

At a recent library visit, the children and I moved like elephants and chanted elephant poems. We got creative with elephant crafts and tried on elephant tattoos. The children (and the adults) loved meeting Mama Gray and Little Gray in the form of my wonderful Folkmanis puppets. Finally, we read my story together. What a rich time of connecting to story and to one another.

Let’s Link Up

Aimee’s blog, Good Books to Share, celebrates the good that sharing children’s books brings to the world. Follow along to gain inside information from children’s authors and illustrators and hear about how sharing children’s books has changed people’s lives for good.

Website: http://www.aimeereidbooks.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aimeereidauthor

Twitter: @AimeeEReid

Thank you, Aimee for sharing your books and your library love with us.

Love Libraries? Give a Roar in “Comments” below.

Note to Librarians: If you’re a Youth Librarian working in a school or public library we’d love to hear about you and your library. Email Janet on the Contact page on this website for an interview.

Note to Authors: If you’re interested in Roaring for Libraries on this blog, contact Janet.