Picture, if you will, possibly the cutest thing you’ve ever seen. Thirty children ranging in age from five to nine, all gathered at the Flying Pig, clutching their stories they are about to share with their family and friends. I was charmed, I was amused and mostly I was touched at the bravery and pride of these young readers. We were community sponsors for the annual Reading Rainbow writing contest. Our contribution was not financial, save $40 in snacks, and the rewards were many.

This year was the first year the Reading Rainbow folks, in conjunction with Vermont Public Television, used independent bookstores and not Barnes and Noble, as hosts for their annual celebration.This gave us a great opportunity to introduce a lot of new families to the store who otherwise might not find their way to us. There was no expectation for the families to buy anything. Sometimes I think that’s a great way for folks to meet the store: we were doing something for them and didn’t expect anything in return. An absolutely no-pressure visit. And they liked it, and so did we.

I had the delightful task of MCing the event. I got to introduce each reader and announce what they were going to read. Each child read the story he or she submitted to the Reading Rainbow contest. These children were adorable. Some spoke loudly, not nervous at all. One girl even stopped at every page to very gracefully show the art to the entire room much like a Vanna White in training. One girl who led with her belly, read shyly, almost in a whisper until she was done. Then she boomed, "THE END" and took a lovely theatrical bow and skipped to her mother. Another child, a boy, read a story about his friend getting stitches and said repeatedly, "the ambi-lance." I just about died of cuteness. 

We so often see our younger customers as readers that I forget they’re also burgenoning writers. To hear their stories was a window into their fears (not fitting in, sadly, was a prominent theme) and their joys (lots of new puppies and rabbits), and things they didn’t understand (just how did the armadillo get its shell?). It’s interesting — hearing their stories reminded me of what they’re thinking and understanding. While the five-year-old may be precocious, he likes a very simple, linear story that’s that’s funny, and maybe I’ve been doing him a slight disservice by recommending books that are more complex than he can handle. Just because he can read significantly above grade level doesn’t mean he should always read above grade level.

The parents already trust us because we respected their children’s achivements. Whether we convert all the atendees into customers remains to be seen, and really it doesn’t matter. We’ve already seen many familes in the store since the event. Personally, I can’t wait until next year when we get to do it all over again.