Bedtime storytime at Hawthorn Library

For something completely different, Benji and I went to bedtime storytime at Hawthorn Library tonight, along with around 30 other kids, mums and dads. All the kids were in their pyjamas and carrying teddies, snuggled up with their parents on big leather beanbags and listening intently to the stories Rita the librarian was reading.

Meanwhile Benji was roaring around the Australian history section, through the folios, to the old photocopier room and back again. Thankfully Ian turned up 10 minutes later and calmed him down so that we could join the other families and listen to the last story which was about penguins.

Storytime was capped off with everyone making a circle and holding hands, singing a song that I'd never heard before, a la the Hokey Pokey. Benji was in the middle of the circle doing some kind of Cossack dancing.

Afterwards we, as in Ian and I, did an activity which was colouring in a whale, cutting it out and taping a straw for a blowhole which you could fill with water to spurt out. We did a sensational job of our whale as you can see, with Ben contributing about 2 minutes out of his busy schedule to colour in the spots at the bottom and add a few stripes.

Bedtime storytime is a monthly event at each of the Boroondara libraries and despite Ben's less than impressive performance, we will take him again. He loved being amongst other kids, who were all older, and proudly showed off his stuffed toy puffin to them. It was a very enjoyable evening.

Insofar as yesterday's borrowings go, the big hit so far has been the Ahlbergesque Love That Baby! More about it next time...