Oceans of Possibilities

Cara Maynard

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”– Dr. Seuss

WRITER/ Cindy Martin

Cara Maynard, Assistant Branch Manager, at the Mount Airy Public Library, has the greatest job in the universe - inspiring readers young and old to take a look inside the pages of a book and be transported to a whole new world. She and the library staff have spent countless hours preparing for the 2022 Summer Reading Program, a collaborative effort of libraries nationwide to promote the love of books and reading.

This year’s theme, “Oceans of Possibilities,” promises weeks of thrills and excitement. The folks at the Mount Airy Library, as well as a public library near you, are offering a plethora of activities to interest everyone from birth to adulthood. At the Mount Airy Library, there’s Shark Week, Wet and Wild Water Day, Cookout Storytime, and stories of pirate treasure, mermaids, creatures of the deep, and much, much more. In addition, you and yours can attend the Summer Family Movie Series on Fridays, with films like “Finding Nemo,” “Moana,”” Muppet Treasure Island,” and “The Little Mermaid.” Classic Monday Movies at 5 p.m. will feature “The Incredible Mr. Limpet,” “Jaws,” and “Key Largo.”

Did I mention that all activities, including movies, are free? What a fun, wonderful, budget-friendly way to spend time with your family.

“The library is more than a warehouse for books,” one librarian explained. “It’s a living, breathing, vital part of the community for people of all ages.”

Many well-known authors got their start at their local libraries. New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber is dyslexic. Were it not for a kind librarian named Beverly Cleary who encouraged this reluctant reader to blossom, we might never have experienced her award winning work. Today, she has over 65 million books in print.

Gary Paulsen, Newberry Honor winner and author of scores of books for children and young adults, used to duck into the library to stay warm. It was a safe place off the streets where he could escape the elements and avoid going home to his abusive, drunken parents. It was there a caring librarian introduced him to the likes of Herman Melville (“Moby Dick”), Robert Louis Stevenson (“Treasure Island”), and Daniel Defoe (“Robinson Crusoe”). “She saved my life, literally,” he writes.

Ray Bradbury, perhaps one of the greatest science fiction authors of all time, says he attended college at the library. Essays, biographies, adventure stories, and more awaited him within the shelved collections of books from every genre.