Monday, May 02, 2011

Animals Don't Wear Pants

I had a very talkative young patron today. I tried to enlist her help drawing books for a display today. It's a kid's display, so it doesn't have to be "good" (ah, yes, I am not a through and through children's librarian). She drew a stick figure of Mama Bear from the Berenstain Bears and asked if she had to draw clothes on her.

All I could say is "not if it's an animal".

The real lesson here is, if you have unruly kids and teens, enlisting them to help make displays is my favorite diversion tactic. We made epic "murals" in Brooklyn using butcher paper on rolls, and it would take weeks to color in a nice 2x7 panel. To keep kids and teens from overcrowding, try to think of mural ideas in "pieces" such as "favorite books to read with mom" or "Alice in Wonderland". If you're a control freak like me, having them decorate elements of the mural such as "sneakers", "Easter eggs" or "letters" can keep your design somewhat in check while relieving you of doing all the work.

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