Last night our library completed it's week long fundraiser: The Book Fair. Unloading boxes and boxes of brand spankin' new books was delightful. The Book Company sends it's own shelving units resembling ginormous steel briefcases on wheels. The steel cases unlock on the sides, and open up, already pre-filled with brand new books. Of course, if you open the sides too fast, the unit is liable to crash forward and crush an unsuspecting child in the vicinity. Nevertheless, this is apparently the way it IS done and HAS been done forever. So I've just been very conscious of the precious little cherubs innocently browsing the shelves. Anyhooooo....
The Bug had her eye on one particular book, above all other books: The Guinness Book of World Records 2009. She counted out allowance money from her piggy bank, put piles of quarters on the cashier table and brought home The Prize. My first inclination was to guide her toward a different book. And then, I remembered....the tattered, red paperback book that I STILL have in a box in the attic: The Guinness Book of World Records. The only book I ordered from the Book Company when I was in elementary school (way back in the Dark Ages).
Now, back in the olden days the Guinness Book had all kinds of creepy pictures. The photograph that stands out in my memory is the one of the lady with the World's Longest Fingernails. They curled in spirals from her fingers down to her feet and back up again. GROSS. The new Guinness Book is in color and doesn't have any gross pictures, which is nice. It's full of facts like "The World's Biggest Fireworks Display" and other non-gruesome items.
This morning, the Bug followed me around the house and read OUT LOUD, page by page, from the Guinness Book. She was a little me, and I had to grin remembering the olden days...and my own little tattered red paperback treasure...
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