“School is OUT – LIBRARY is OPEN”

Jun 1st “School is OUT – LIBRARY is OPEN”

Post-war prosperity, a booming automobile industry, and increasing suburbanization continued the expansion of bookmobile service. The below picture of a Brooklyn library bookmobile doesn’t really capture all of the trends of the time, but look at the kids!

Index

Library Card

Someone asked me about my library card? “Did I have one, to use in SAINT LOUIS?”

It is amazing how an almost “70 year library card” – can find a safe place to hide, for all these years and still look good. SO, this is the real story of, “HOW and WHEN” so long ago, that I was able to get my very own “LIBRARY CARD” and, all by myself!

In the early 1940’s, we moved into the North St.Louis area, and I was sent to the bakery for “cinnamon” rolls. I’m only six years old and on the corner of Carter & Warne Avenue, is parked a “mobile library trailer” something, not ever seen by me, before this day, on my early runs for items, for the family. I could not just pass this by, since they had “two doors” opened. “Nosy– me” pokes my head in and someone said, “Come on in?” “I don’t know if I can ?? “What are you here, for?”. Someone then said, “You can have a book to “READ” that is , if you have a library card!” I had to first check this “information” out and see if “IT” would be “OKAY” with “MOM” and, so I just said, “I’ll come back.”

I had to run as fast as I could, to the “Bakery” as I had just wasted “TIME” just making this stop, and back home, and then with an “OKAY” from “MOM” back to the “mobile library.” When I got there, they helped me fill out the “library card” and pointed me to the area that would interest me. I picked out a book that had a picture covering the whole front cover. Across the top was the name of the book, “Madeline.” I could hardly wait, till I was back home, to show my “MOM” this was really FUN for me, as a kid, I was always on the look-out for new and different stuff.

My Mother read the book, to me and my brothers, Denny and Tommy , as we sat in the living room, on the sofa, as we did almost every day. Back then, WWII was going on and my DAD was working on NAVY SHIPS in Vallejo, California and we loved hearing the stories that Mom would read from the BIBLE and other books that we had. MOM was happy with my selection, today and she read it several times to us, as I could only have it for a short time and would have to return it back, according to the date stamped on the card that was on the inside cover of the book, which, gave me the permission to borrow it.

“MOM” also helped me to read it. The story of little “Madeline” just seemed as if, it would be, about “ME”- and this was one story book, that I always had the best of memories for and about, and when I had my own little family, that was one of the books, I bought for my children and myself and then too, had the “Little Madeline” story book ready, for my Grand-Children.

P.S. – – I do recommend – – if you have a chance – – get this book and read to your children – – see if they will remember it as I do? … “For ever”