Seven Thousand Books!!!

WELCOME to my first Florida VPK visit!!!!!!

This program is about 5 minutes from my back door.

We've decided to 'adopt' each other.

I knew as soon as I walked in the front door and saw all of the hand-painted murals -- I knew that I knew that I had found a new friend!

Then we departed the Pooh foyer and I knew I'd fallen in LUV!!

Are you ready to take a 'tour' of their building?

This is what I saw!!!!!!

As I received the quick tour of the building, after the breath-taking muals, the very first thing I noticed was a VERY FULL book shelf, very full. 
                                        Lots. Of. BOOKS!!!!! 

                              Then I saw another and another and another and another book shelf!!!!

Each one filled to the brim with books. Every direction I turned was another shelving system FULL of books and I do mean FILLED FULL with books!!!!! Mrs. Sousa, the program director was proud to share with me the fact that their program owns 7,000 books!!!!! The collage above gives you a glimmer, of a hint, of an idea of what a lover-of-books creates for the children she directs. A library!!

She has an additional 5,000 at home when they need to circulate 'new' titles.

                           Up-to-the-minute popular media faces and Disney classics galore!

I LUV that every classroom has their own massive collection.... but I really LUV how the classroom books are also shelved right there in the midst of all of their highly organized art materials.

When I say that there are books, EVERYWHERE!!!!!! this is not a Debbie-exaggeration, not this time.

Books. Books. Books. Books. Books.

I LUV that she knows how many books live in their center. I LUV that she knows how many books she has at home. I LUV that the children are literally SURROUNDED by books. That's about one hundred books per child! Do you know how many books you have in your program? Can you claim one hundred books per child?

That's a pretty high standard.

As a picture book author-illustrator I was delighted to see the emphasis on the physical book. The old, gold standard. Covers. Paper. Binding. End-pages. Hold it in your hands and turn the pages. Feel the paper with your fingers. Take 'er out for a spin and get that new-book smell in your nostrils.

While these kiddos are being 'read to' primarily, you can bet that they are in the midst of crossing the bridge to becoming avid readers themselves. Choose a book from the shelf. See the way the illustrations colors jump out and grab you, follow the print, connect the dots, become a reader!!

Wait till you see the 'rest-of-the-story.'

Come back tomorrow!