Many people love good bookstores. But writers, well . . . we are enamored with our local indie bookstores as places of wonder. These brick-and-motor stores are the heart of the community offering much more than books.
The sight of shelves packed with books from all genres, the sound of the children’s enthusiasm, and the rustling of turning pages all warm my heart.
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| Children's Books |
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| Mrs. Sue shares stories during story time |
My favorite independent bookstore is located in Edwardsville, Illinois. The two-story yellow frame house is inviting and comfortable with numerous spots for adults and children to plop down and read. This bookstore is family owned and operated and offers numerous events including story time for children. At Afterwords Books, Story Time takes place every Tuesday at ten o’clock and Saturday at 11:00am.
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| Afterwords Books Edwardsville, Illinois
As a writer under construction, my relationship with LuAnn Locke, owner of Afterwords Books, has become beneficial for both of us. Every Tuesday I spend time with little bookworms and their families sharing the love of literacy during Story Time at Afterwords Books.
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| Afterwords Books LuAnn Locke, Owner
Since this community bookstore goes above and beyond to make itself a destination for families to share the love and value of reading, while browsing bookshelves for just the right book, I am excited to participate in story time.
Reading books to kids in the neighborhood offers me, as a pre-published writer, an opportunity to connect with the children in our community. Story time has become an extension for my writing. Spending time with the kids gives me an insight into books that capture the kids’ attention, their likes and dislikes and most importantly their reaction to the books that I read and share with them. The kids always let me know their thoughts about the books through active participation and positive reactions. If a book is “liked”, the kids share two thumbs up. A thumb held in the horizontal position indicates the listeners “kinda liked” the book and thumbs down, well you know what that means. Thus far, I have noted all thumbs up.
Many GROG Blog readers know how important it is to read and study stellar picture books. What better way to analyze top notch literature through the eyes of my reading buddies.
My motto is: Read, Write and Create Every Day.
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And that I do try to do each and every day. However, there are times when reading during story time is the best excuse for not writing.
I can't help but feel I belong here, just as I did in the classroom and just as I do with my after school and summer school reading buddies.
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| Story Time |
