Children + Book + Librarian = Fantastique Magique!

I absolutely love that reading aloud to kids still has the power to capture their imaginations and sweep them away to another time and another place.  I walked into a grade 5 classroom the other day, a class that I've visited before, and as soon as they saw me they quickly got up out of their chairs and sat on the floor, gathering around me, knowing I had come to read them a story.  As I began to read chapter one I could tell the children were completely engaged and their minds were eager and willing to enter the world and meet the characters the author had created for them. And for me, nothing else existed except those children and the words on those pages.  I was completely consumed with the experience... I loved being in the presence of such an enthralled audience and I loved the challenge of trying to tell the story with as much authenticity and passion as possible to do justice to the author and to make the exchange interesting and real for the children.  The energy in the room was the perfect mix of curiousity and thinking and listening and speaking and responding.  Chapter one turned into chapter two and chapter two turned into chapter three and then the bell was going to ring.  And we were all left wondering what was going to happen next.  I felt completely blissful.  These are the moments this librarian lives for!