Don't Be Afraid to Wear a Straw Hat

This week classes visited the library for the first time.  There was so much to do beforehand to prepare, but through the rush, I was very excited.

I knew back in the summer which book would be the first one I'd share. It was this fun picture book by my NCTE friend, Peter Brown:

Brown, Peter. My Teacher Is a Monster! (No, I Am Not). New York: Little Brown Books for Young Readers, 2014. Print.


I had introduced the readers in our library to Peter Brown's work last year with another book, Mr. Tiger Goes Wild (Little Brown Book for Young Readers, 2013). So when I announced the author of this work, I heard many readers say "Oh, Yeah!" in recognition.

Now to read this story, I decided I needed a hat. If you've read the book, you know that Ms. Kirby sports a big white hat with a black ribbon in the book. So that sent me shopping. No, it wasn't easy finding a white straw hat, and in fact, I didn't. But I did find this:

The "ribbon" is really butcher paper, and the flower is crochet (which I purchased).

When I read the book to my classes, I put the hat on with a bit of fanfare. Some asked: "Why are you wearing a hat?" When I came to the page in the book where Ms. Kirby is shown wearing her hat, always someone in the class would say: "I know why you're wearing the hat!"

Now, this is really a simple thing, I know. Wearing a prop during story time is nothing new. But this experience showed me how powerful it was to do so. Sometimes, the most simple thing can be the best thing.

We all had a great time with the story, and everyone gave it a "thumbs up". I think our teachers loved it, too, judging from their smiles. Students all agreed that they were very fortunate that their own teacher was NOT a monster. They shared how they saw their teachers at Costco or Kroger, and how strange it was.

When I read the book, I kept noticing points that I hadn't seen before. In the book, Ms. Kirby quacks with the ducks in the park. And she dresses up to do so. That part was great to me. She took time to have fun and do something offbeat and looked great doing it, too!

While I read them the book to show them that read-alouds are just a part of the great things we'd do in the library, I realized this book left an impression on me as well. My take-aways (or, at least a few of them):

A simple gesture can have a great impact. 
Don't be afraid to wear a straw hat. (Re: Celebrate your passion.)
Take a break every now and then and visit the park and enjoy the ducks. (That one is from Ms. Kirby.)

This book helped me connect with readers at the start of the year. That's a lot to expect from a book. But it played a part in accomplishing this. Indeed it did.

I know I will keep "wearing hats" and trying things in the library. Some may not be a simple as this, and some may require more time, effort, and risk. But I know that it will always be worth it if it creates a reading community and shows even one little one how glorious books can be.

Now, I'm off to the park. With my hat.