State Sen. Aaron Bean Wows 'Em At PCR

PCR Manager Jackie Spiritas reports, "Florida Senator Aaron Bean had a great experience as our guest reader at Stories and Art for Early Literacy at Pablo Creek Library, June 6, 2017. Senator Bean captivated everyone's attention with one of his favorite childhood books, Harry the Dirty Dog by author Gene Zion, where he acted out the parts and scenes with gusto. He praised the parents’ participation and acknowledged their commitment to their children’s education by bringing them to the program.

"Pablo Creek hosted 110 kids (over two Storytime sessions) despite the downpour, and parents and children alike were entertained by the Senator. He introduced the letter of the day, the shape (his favorite, the circle) and the number 6. He read Harry aloud as animatedly as if he had written it himself and was starring in the role. The Senator then posed for pictures in which he hammed it up for the camera, insisting that Children’s Librarian Tristan Denmark and I pretend we were reading and then we just act surprised by the camera. He charmed the crowd and hinted about what he would like to read when he visits again (Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel, spoiler alert!)

"A few extras during the program which went over big with the Senator: The staff created a puppy dog paw print trail that lead the Senator and the kids to Community Room A when Storytime began.  Treats of Scotty Dog shaped shortbread biscuits and Scooby Snacks were given out to the kids and the Senator took some back to the office 'for research purposes only,' or so he told the crowd glibly. Senator Bean liked that we tied all of the doggy themes into his book of the day.  (Tristan even taught the kids the word dog in Spanish and how to sign dog in sign language.) Just when he thought it couldn’t get more exciting,  Tristan let loose with the bubble machine and the Senator was seeing stars. He was very appreciative of the Storytime experience and left with a sense of how important Pablo Creek Library is to our community. He will not forget his experience anytime soon nor the impact that PCR has in the community.

Branch Manager Jackie Spiritas reports that “hosting Senator Bean was one of the more rewarding experiences of being a part of the Jacksonville Public Library system. All of the work we do going out in to the community and hoping the word gets filtered “up” – I was able to show off the library to one of our most compelling library advocates in a visible way.”