The venue was the amazing Groenberg Community Library , right in the heart of Franschhoek.
The participants consisted of 21 teacher-librarians from all over the Franschhoek Valley and the interest was high as we presented the ideas that CBN has been developing around books for the last eight years. This was a concerned, caring, and hard-working group of people who showed a complete understanding of the joys – and difficulties – of bringing children to books and books to children.
We went through many books – all of which were passed around and shared – with comments. It was a great pleasure to speak to such a knowledgeable group, and against the background of a superb, brand-new library as well. We were fortunate to be joined by Mary Novak Walsh, whoi had attebded an informal workshop the previous day (during the Storytelling Day for Grades 1-3 in the valley. She and her husband, Terry, enjoyed that so much that they returned the following day to present Mary’s book, Libraries, let’s find book!’. This eminently practical volume takes the mysteries out of the Dewey System and helps children to begin to find their way in what can be a challenging environment.
The afternoon was a wonderful opportunity to talk about books and reading, and to demonstrate different ways of attracting the interest of children. Lesley Beake presented the Red Toolbox (Books and Stories) and gave an outline of how we plan and present our workshops.
The workshop ended and began with informal conversations over sandwiches, muffins, tea and coffee.
