Every Monday a blue and yellow library bus parked on the street by my house. I'd rush home from school early on Mondays and hurry to find all of my library books from last week (usually under my bed). Then I'd run down to the library bus with my mum and my brother and we'd spend forever in there choosing which books we wanted. We were allowed to take out six - I think that's still the case isn't it? The librarian was nice too. I think she was called Sue. Her and my mum would chat whilst I sat and looked through "How to Draw Animals" and "The Owl who was Afraid of the Dark".
Mondays were the most fun when I was a kid. I'd rush home and put all of the books in the order that I was going to read them (geeky much?) and then I'd just read. All afternoon. All night. All the time. Everything I could possibly read. I literally read every book in my infant school and I was allowed to choose books from the junior school next door. The children there were confused and thought I was a bit weird. They were probably right.
The Library Bus is the thing I loved most about being a kid. My parents never forced me to read, but they let me read as much as I wanted to, whenever I wanted. I remember in summer I'd pretend to be sleeping but I'd read books until it got too dark to see. I guess I've always survived on less sleep than I should.
I wish the library bus still existed. Sure, I have a library down the road, but there's something so special about someone bringing books to you. Saying "look! They're here! Read them!" I might not read books as much as I used to (damn internet) but I still love books as much as I did as a kid. I think the library bus had a lot to do with that. I miss the library bus. Can someone invent one again please?
Flickr image from Taihung's photostream. Our library bus did not look that cool.
The Library Bus
Posted by
Siany
Wednesday, 4 November 2009
Labels: being a kid , books , childish , library
6 comments:
No need for anyone to invent one again, as library buses are still very much in existence! I worked on one and it was a lot of fun.
Yay! Where? Where are they? I wants one in Greenwich!
Yes I remember the Library Bus, I used to love paying them a visit. However when I discovered the static library you could not get me out of it. I was there for life, well till amazon came into my life.
Awesome. Libraries are my favourite, favourite things in the world. When I move back to London there are two things very high on my agenda:
1. Find the perfect London library, with a) comfy armchairs, b) quiet corners, c) big windows letting in lots of sunlight and d) no noisy teenagers.
2. Start a footpath library for homeless people like that bird Sarah Garnett did in Sydney. Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant idea.
I like comments from you that start "when I move back to London". Shall we have start a library bus / moving office thing with magic wi-fi? That would be fun.
They are mostly in rural areas/edges of towns, so quite possibly not in Greenwich! There is one that passes by not far from me.
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