The most
delightful things happen when you least expect them. I rode my bicycle over to
Starbucks this afternoon and had my normal double shot vanilla latte - and as I
was sipping away at my coffee I noticed a large bus pulling up in the parking
bay. This was no ordinary bus. It was Molly the mobile library.
Here are a couple
of pictures of it:
Within a
couple of minutes of the bus pulling up a cluster of small children ran over to
it. They were each holding books and they lined up at the door in a very
orderly fashion and it was evident that they were very excited. The driver’s
door hissed open and a very large Indian man alighted. He was beaming and all
of the he children squealed. The very large Indian man opened the passenger
door to the bus and the little children streamed inside.
The very large
Indian man was chuckling in delight.
I washed down
my coffee and wandered over to the bus as my curiosity was piqued. I am a great
lover of books and reading and I have never before seen a mobile library.
"Hello" I enquired of the driver.
"What
is this all about then?"
"This
is being Molly the library bus sir" he boomed at me.
"Nice
one"
I replied.
I peered
inside the bus and I saw many rows of neatly organized books on shelves that
lined the entire vehicle.
"Is it
just for children?" I asked.
"It is
only for the children sir" he responded.
"It is
full of stories of excitement and adventure and bewonderment"
"Bewonderment?" I enquired.
"Yes
indeed bewonderment sir"
"Excellent" I declared.
"And
do you drive this bus all over the island?"
"I am
being driving all over the city and beyond sir. You must be bringing your
children to read them some stories"
"My
children are both in Australia" I confessed.
"They
are also too big I think to be reading the stories in your bus. They are all
grown up."
"Never
sir"
he roared.
"There
is always muchness of delight in reading for children of everyness age"
"I
agree there is much muchness of delight in reading" I said.
"You
must be coming to read to the children" the driver said.
Then he
grabbed me by the arm and led me up the steps and into the bus.
At the back of
the coach was a large and comfortable armchair where some of the little
children were already sitting. They had happy but expectant looks on their
faces. They were quite little kids. They were Singaporean and Indian.
The driver
told me "We are be reading at every stop we make. Please choose a book
story and be reading to the children'.
"Really?" I asked
"Most
assuredly really" he replied.
"I
don't suppose you have any Hairy Maclary books?" I asked.
"We
are being having all of them" he shouted and then he scampered away to the front
shelves of the vehicle.
Within seconds
I was being pushed into the armchair and a cluster of little children sat on
the floor around me.
'Hairy
Maclary'
is my favorite of all children's books. I read the series over and over to my
kids when they were little. I loved them and so did they. They were written and
illustrated by the New Zealand author Lynley Dodd. There are twelve books in
the series and they are about the adventures of a farmhouse dog named Hairy Maclary.
Hairy Maclary has
a number of dog friends that include the dachshund Schnitzel Von Krumm, the Dalmatian
Bottomley Potts and the English sheepdog Muffin McLay. Their adventures mostly
involve encounters with a group of cunning cats - the most formidable being
Hairy Maclary's arch enemy and nemesis -
the quite scary tom cat named Scarface Claw.
The book I
chose to read the children was the first in the series that is called "Hairy
Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy". It is a beauty.
Here is a bit
of it to give you an idea of how great the writing is:
Out of the
gate
And off for
a walk
Went Hairy
Maclary
From
Donaldson's Dairy
With
Schnitzel von Krumm
With a very
low tum,
And Blitzer
Maloney
All skinny
and bony,
With Muffin
McLay
Like a
bundle of hay
And
Bottomley Potts
All covered
in spots
And
Hercules Morse
As big as a
horse
With tails
in the air
They
trotted on down
Past the
shops and the park
To the far
end of town
They
sniffed at the smells
And they
snooped at each door
When suddenly
Out of the
shadows
They
Saw ....
The
toughest Tom
In
Town
SCARFACE
CLAW!
I put on my
scary voice leading up to the Scarface Claw bit and a couple of the very little
kids climbed up onto my lap to look at the pictures. The mums and dads that
were there seemed as enthralled as the children at the story. We all laughed
and clapped our hands and Mr. Molly slapped his knees in delight.
The whole
experience gave me a warm glow as it reminded me of reading to my children when
they were little when they were all curled up in their beds in their pajamas. It
was such a long time ago. Sandi and I would read to our children all the time.
I asked Mr.
Molly if I could come back and read again to the children next week and he told
me that of course I could. We arranged to meet at the same place and the same time.
There was much bewonderment and delight for me in the experience and I can't
wait.
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