Feb 2005

We were sitting on the riverbank in front of the library waiting for a boat which was taking its time in getting there. The moon had risen about one quarter of its ascent. Of the seventeen people who had come to help receive six hundred roof leaf panels, already eleven had gone home. After four hours of waiting the rest of us were getting punchy, telling jokes and acting silly when Wilder said "Hey Antonio, you are just like Jorge" Antonio was dangling from the handrail on the bridge. Wilder and Antonio are fathers of children who come to the library. Wilder has six children and Antonio has four But who is Jorge you ask? Jorge el Curioso-Curious George, that famous monkey of children's books. Wilder knew of Jorge because his kids had borrowed the book for a weekend and Alex, his son, had eventually won the book as a prize for reading 150 books in the reading club. There we were enjoying the effects of Jorge the Monkey even after the book had been closed. People sometimes ask me if I think the library has a lasting impact on the lives of the people here. My answer is YES!