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Pope children learn the 'Joy of Reading'

  • Published
  • By Emily Smith
  • 43rd Airlift Wing Public Affairs
POPE AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. --  The Pope Library hosted its Joy of Reading story hour Friday at 4 p.m. Twenty-five children sat cross-legged on the floor as volunteer readers shared their favorite stories.
Dr. Robert Kirkpatrick, principal of Pope Elementary School, was a volunteer reader along with Mrs. Kelly Wivell, President of the Pope Spouses Association, Col. Charles Dunn, Mission Support Group Commander, and his wife Brenda. 

Mr. Kirkpatrick, better known as Dr. Bob, read "The Frog Principal" by Stephanie Calmenson. 

"I'm going to read a book about my job," Dr. Bob said to the children. "It's about a principal who turns into a frog. That has never happened to me, although I've still got time." 

The children listened, eyes glued on Dr. Bob and his cleverly illustrated book. As Dr. Bob read the last page, the children were already clamoring for another story. 

Colonel Dunn was up next, reading "Maxwell's Magical Mix-up" by Linda Ashman.
Full of innocence, the children interacted with the colonel. 

"How old am I?" asked Colonel Dunn after referring to the age of the character in the book. 

"You're 8," one child said. 

"No! You're 37," said another. 

Cheryl Gritton, director of the library, commented on the program. 

"Library programs of all types expose people to new ideas, new concepts, new language, in short, knowledge they didn't have before," she said. "The children's story time does that through reading a new book to a child. The library is not just a place to shelve books; we are here to broaden the knowledge of everyone on Pope, from the children to the commander." 

The Pope Library is a place where the librarians know the children by name, and they offer quite a service to Pope. 

"We have a special role in many people's lives," Ms. Gritton said. "The library has not been a highly visible activity, like the bowling center or the Pope Club, but we want people to know that they can come to the library and that we welcome them here."
The library welcomes volunteers of any kind. "We welcome anyone to become a volunteer reader, or just to volunteer at the library," Ms. Gritton said. "We enjoy our volunteers; they have a wonderful time." 

The Joy of Reading storytime happens every Friday at 4 p.m., except for a special storytime this Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. Sparky the Fire Dog is going to visit the library in support of Fire Prevention Week. 

The next event for adults is a Poetry Jam Oct. 16 at 7 p.m. Bring original poetry of any form to share. 

For more information on events, or to become a volunteer reader, call the Pope Library at 394-2195.