Bookends

Two bookends herald the start and the finish of the summer holidays, wrapping the passage of time in a comforting hug.

On the first day of the break my daughter marches me down to the library to join the Summer Reading Scheme. And in the last week, we return, to collect her medal.

This has been going on for several years now, but her pride in achieving the task of reading the allotted amount of books hasn’t diminished; if anything her pleasure seems to increase each year.

Today, she walked up to the desk, with her final sheet of ‘stamps’ clutched close to her chest.

“Eighteen. I’ve read eighteen now, so I’ve finished,” she pronounced, loudly, glancing around to check if passing library users looked suitably impressed.

The shiny, gold-coloured medal was handed over, with the appropriate amount of admiration and praise from the by now familiar ‘Library Lady’, and we threaded it onto her whistle lanyard.

“It’s a shame my brother lost interest, isn’t it?” my daughter mentioned, gleefully, unable to hide her triumphant satisfaction at completing the scheme when he hadn’t.

She’s gone to bed now, gripping the medal tightly in her hand. 

I remember when she was a toddler not strong enough to toddle, rolling about on the floor amidst a pile of picture books. It’s been a long story since then, with plenty of plot twists and cliffhangers. Watching her reading throughout the summer, engrossed in book after book, is always one of my favourite chapters.

Video is Booker T. & The MGs - Time Is Tight

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