My enthusiastic new library member, Emily, aged five (as she told me proudly) returned her picture books this morning.

“I’m starting Big School in September,” she said.

“Goodness. Well I’m sure your new teacher will be very happy that you like books so much.”

Emily had already chosen a new stack of six books (the maximum) to borrow and her mother had picked up a cookbook and a novel too.

“I can spell my name.”

“Good for you. You’ll learn how to spell lots of new words in big school. Sometimes the teachers in big school bring their classes to visit us here in the library. Which school are you going to?”

“Saint Anne’s.”

“Yes, we get visits from them. If you come with your teacher you’ll have...

Please subscribe to keep reading.