For the Love of the Library

“You are going to drop them, why don’t you just use a bag?” Harley urged his sister. 

“It is easy for me to balance them like this, the bag always seems heavier,” Harper responded. 

The twins were on their bi-weekly visit to the library and they each had their own manner of collecting their new reads. Harley went for a casual tote bag, whereas Harper chose to stack them on her head. The pile would get higher and higher to the point that her one arm could barely reach the top in support. 

Mom would browse her own preferred sections outside of the children’s area, and they would eventually come together to check them out. 

“Well, I think you look silly with all those books on your head.” Harley huffed, branching off to the chapter book section. He had recently begun a new series and was eager to check out the next story. 

“I don’t care.” Harper stuck her tongue out, stacking yet another picture book atop her head. 

“Shhh.” Mrs. Robins, the librarian, shushed them gently with a smile, reminding them of their volume. She came near Harper, “You have quite the selection today, Harper.” She eyed the large stack wobbling. 

“I sure do. I have some of my favorites and I found a few new books.” 

“Keep it up; reading does a wonder of good for you. It is like food for the brain.” Mrs. Robins held up a book, “Have you read this one yet?”

Harper eyed it up with hunger, craving another new read. Reaching one hand out, she replied, “Not yet.” 

After taking the book, she politely thanked Mrs. Robins and made her way to the check-out counter. She would set her stack down and it would be pushed aside until the rest of her family was ready. Then, she made her way to the puzzles. Her library had a grand assortment of them and plenty of tables where you could assemble them in quiet. 

Mom checked in on her and went to see how Harley was doing, planting a seed that they should pick out a movie for later. The library also had aisles and aisles of movies on DVD. The twins enjoyed going from one aisle to the other and physically picking a movie to watch versus scrolling with the remote on the TV at home. 

Harley must have just missed crossing paths with Mom because he suddenly appeared beside Harper, asking if she had seen her.

With a quiet laugh, Harper pointed back in the direction of the children’s section. 

“I’ll just wait here with you.” Harley took a seat. 

Harper noticed his tote bag was full, and he was also holding a bright green piece of paper, “What’s that?”

Harley held out the paper, “This month’s event schedule. There is going to be a reading of a few Dr. Seuss books, and there is a build-your-own monster mask night that we need to come check out!” He picked up a piece of the puzzle and began to help out. 

Soon enough, Mom found them. She showed off her audiobook selection for their next visit to Grandma and Grandpa. The car ride went a lot faster when they had a book to listen to together. Some audiobooks would have cool sound effects, and each character has a unique voice. They had been listening to books on tape versus watching movies on their tablets since it was something they could do as a family. 

They made their way to the check-out after finding a DVD and talked about the new events this month, along with particular book finds that they were most excited about. 

Mrs. Robins came around the corner to assist with their checkout, “Are we going to reach the limit again?” 

The twins grinned, “Definitely!” They knew that the library limit was 15 items per library card, and they almost always reached it. Mom sometimes had to put a book or two of theirs on her card. 

To no one’s surprise, both Harley and Harper reached their 15-item limit. Harper would re-stack the books on her head to carry them out to the car while Harley held the door open for her. They waved goodbye to Mrs. Robins and couldn’t wait to get home to begin reading!

**Do you like visiting your local library? Did you know that most libraries have so much more than just books? Movies, audiobooks, puzzles, games, and more fun await you. Ask your parents to take you for a visit soon and don’t forget to find out what kind of events your library offers. Reading can transport you anywhere in the world and lets your imagination run free!

Brittany Richards is a full-time Marco Island resident passionate about all things literary. Creating stories as soon as she could read and write, she seeks to inspire the next generation to put down the screen and pick up a book. Whether as a nanny, camp counselor, or gymnastics coach, she has a history of working with children. She looks forward to combining her two joys with The Adventures of Harley and Harper. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling to new destinations, boating with her husband, or cuddling up with her dogs.