Reading Under the Stars

New experience last night–Reading Under the Stars.

The elementary school in a nearby town asked me to come and be a reader at their event last night outdoors on the baseball fields. Luckily, we live in Arizona and didn’t have the skiff (or piles) of snow that other people in the country are getting this week. Instead, some kids even came without coats. (However, they did shiver. It was 58 degrees, after all.) We sat on the grass and ate popcorn. It was kind of like a summer night in Idaho, come to think of it.

I didn’t know what to expect, having only been to one event like this, and it was a long time ago, and a lot earlier in the evening. I didn’t take a flashlight with me, thinking they’d just have the baseball field lights on so people could see to read. Duh. I guess they really wanted to see stars and meant it. So there I was, in the dark, with my little pile of books and my lawn chair, surrounded by little kids, and no flashlight.

What kind of a person doesn’t keep a flashlight in their truck? This kind. Right here.

But, as the Bard said, All’s Well that Ends Well. Someone came to my rescue with a little lantern. I pulled out my copy of The Empty Pot by Demi, donned my yukata (which is like a summer-weight kimono that I got in Japan), and read. They liked The Empty Pot, which is a fantastic story with beautiful pictures, although the DARKNESS put a damper on the enjoyment of the pics, I must say. I was glad I’d lugged in my ANWA bag a bunch of stories. The kids kept sitting there expecting story after story, which was cute. I kind of thought they’d get bored of me and drift away. Maybe they were too cold to move. Like snakes in the winter.

The favorite story was Pete the Cat. Not a surprise. Seriously, if anyone hasn’t seen that or read it to their kids yet, run (don’t walk) to the Mr. Eric or Scholastic website and download the song now. It’s on there for free to listen to. The kids, in the first reading, were able to chime in and sing along. It’s an instant classic.

It all came to a crashing end when one little boy, whose arms were down inside his jacket, lost his balance and fell forward onto the ground. Poor little guy! The arms, being tucked inside, couldn’t break his fall, and his face hit flat on the dirt. I had to break up the fun and go find his mom. Which seemed like a good time to hit the road and go home and read to my own kids before their bedtime.

I think we might have to do a little Griffith Family Reading Under the Stars over here tomorrow night. That’s good times.

Now, I’d better go locate a flashlight and put it in the truck.