The Library

Oh, Nashville Public Library, how do I love you?  Let me count the ways.  First of all, you offer us SIX weekly opportunities at the downtown location alone to attend storytime.  And when I say storytime, I don't mean a nice, elderly librarian sitting in a rocking-chair and reading a book to a circle of attentive children (although I love that sort of storytime, too).  Instead, I mean three talented performers (named Library Pete, Mary Mary, and the Professor, if you must know) who juggle, sing songs, use puppets, AND read stories to a packed-out theater of little ones and their bigs week in and week out.  It is absolutely wonderful, and I definitely enjoy it at least as much as Evelyn does every time we go. 

Also, these same three talented performers put together extended puppet and marionette shows most Fridays and Saturdays in the same space.  And if you aren't interested in a puppet show on the weekends, you can check out their monthly screenings of kid-friendly flicks or their frequent guest performers from arts organizations and bands around Nashville.  And the children's section itself at the downtown library is welcoming, cozy, and has child-size furniture, a bead-maze-table, a rocking-eggplant (instead of a rocking-horse), and a mini-puppet-theater for the kiddos to enjoy to their hearts' content.  Not to mention the excellent selection of books and audio CDs available to check out.  And all for free!  Like I said, I'm in love.

Enough talk, though.  On to a couple pictures....

These are blurry phone pics, and don't do the scene justice, but you get the picture.  At the end of each storytime, they invite all the little ones up to sit on the edge of the stage and sing along and sign to "It's a Wonderful World" (which is heartbreakingly sweet, I might add).  Our sweet baby hasn't quite gotten the jist of the sitting-on-the-stage part of it, but she loves to toddle on up and sway and wave her arms and check out what everybody else is up to.  She's the one wearing pink overalls:)

These three are from Evelyn's first trip to see a puppet show.  She and her daddy met up with some friends a couple weekends ago and watched "Anansi and the Spider."  Fun!