he will forever be haunted by the name Bert

My first storytime was as successful as it could be due to icy weather this morning.  My participants included two toddlers and two parents.  I did a slide show to not only provide lyrics and early literacy skills, but also help me stay on track.  I struggled a bit with the transitions but I'm not sure anyone noticed.

Because of the small crowd, I was able to take my time reading both books, and I enjoyed that more than anything else.  One toddler was outgoing, and the other very shy.  One book I read, Say Hello, was about the different ways animals say hello.  It's a very silly book with lots of animal sounds.  The shy toddler, who was very solemn until that book, giggled when I said "bow wow."  His response was awesome because "bow wow" was the animal sound I felt most insecure about.

Later, while reading my second book about a bird who is afraid to jump off his branch into the water below, the shy toddler began chanting "oh no oh no oh no" and only stopped when I closed the book.  Though I tried to dispel his anxiety, the shy toddler could not be convinced that the bird was not only aok, but even enjoyed the jump.  Thankfully once we finished reading the book and moved on to the next exciting thing, the shy toddler was over it.  Years from now, when he's thinking about jumping into a lake somewhere, he may remember Bert the bird and bravely jump as well.  Or he will forever be haunted by the name Bert, and have absolutely no idea why.  

At the end of storytime, after dumping the box of toys out for the two toddlers to play with, I asked the parents for their feedback.  I was delighted when one of the parents gave me a bit of very constructive advice, and hours later, while exploring different options pertaining to her advice, I realized something grand.  While merrily tweaking my slides and adding in the new information, it occurred to me I was having an absolute blast.

So, with complete sincerity, I hereby proclaim that storytimes are officially on my list of All the Reasons I Love Working at the Library.  Yesiree, that list.