Bug,  crazy stuff

Long Live Library Week

balloon lady

So that was fun, all those events at the libraries. Bug and I have visited more libraries in this week than we have in months! I’ve got the books to prove it. Good thing they’re all in the same network and I can just return them at our local library.

We loved the balloon show. It was almost as fun as the science show, which says a lot since the science show had forces and vortexes and magical water molecules that kept showing up in a silver decanter that never ran out of water. But this show had a GIANT balloon. It was so big, the storyteller blew it up with a leaf blower and then climbed inside of it (all to the suspenseful tune of the 1812 Overture)! It blew (ha ha) our minds.

Bre the Animal Lady at the library

Next up there was a Mighty Rainforest Animal Show! It was pretty cool. I really wish I could rattle off all the names of the animals we saw but my dinosaur laptop is dying and google takes me about a million years to bring up even one page. It’s that sad.

Don’t be surprised if one of these days I just disappear because I chucked my laptop out the window and I no longer have anywhere to post from. I guess I could always use a library computer but I tried that the other day and half my links were broken due to the library not supporting flickr. Harumph.

But whatever! I’m online now and there animals animals to post about!

Bre and her "peek-ka-choo"

This one was the cutest one. Not the girl. The fuzzy guy on her shoulder. But yes, Bre “the animal lady,” was cute too. She called it a “peek-ka-chu” but every time I try to look it up on the internet to see what it really is, I keep finding pages for Pokeman and you know how well that is going with this dying laptop. So if you know what this nectar-eating mammal is, please educate us in the comments.

the brave volunteers

The best part was when Bug got to be a volunteer. This week has been a bit challenging for her because she is so small for her age. She’s smart enough to know the answers to questions and participate but a lot of the time the show performers didn’t call on her because she looks like she’s two instead of four. So she got passed over many times which broke her poor nap-needing, low-blood-sugared heart. BUT at last she got chosen to be a “tree” up on the make-shift taped-off stage.

It was kind of funny because Bre, the animal lady, said that her snake was just a “little” snake because she was afraid of snakes. So we were all expecting something about six inches long and then she reached into one of her fake animal skin-covered bins and extracted a giant twelve-foot, scary-looking snake that I also don’t remember the name of. (Arg!)

her "little" snake

Bug ended up being a little scared after all even though she had promised Bre that she would be brave. But Bug didn’t run from the snake crying. She just sort of stood there and touched his underbelly with one finger instead of holding out both arms like she was supposed to. Thankfully, because she looks like she’s two instead of four, everyone thought she was cute and didn’t boo her off the stage.

I was proud of her. After that we escaped the small cramped library and took a break because it was super crowded and the kids were more restless than the animals. But we went back later and told the librarians how much we liked the show. Because we really did. Even if I can’t remember the animal names and we are sort of afraid to hold GIANT twelve foot snakes.

12 Comments

  • Ruth

    Oh yes, oh yes! I think it’s called a kinkajou. In second grade we did a unit on rainforests and we each had to do a project on one particular animal–mine was the kinkajou! (I think that’s the right spelling…) I always hoped someday that random-rainforest-animal-information would come in handy! Looks like you guys had a blast :)

    SAJ says: Thank you! And now that I’m done posting and putting in links, I see that the Wildlife Company link has them all listed. Blarg!

  • Kassi

    the snake freaks me out. especially since it could unhinge its jaw and swallow one of those kids whole. but i love libraries and would endure the snake show to be in one right now.

    SAJ says: She assured us it could not actually unhinge it’s jaw and only ate small animals but I’m with you, a little freaked! :)

  • Jeanie

    One day she will thank you for that picture of her holding that gargantuan snake.

    Holy catfish, that thing freaks me out just looking at it on my computer screen! When I was in elementary school we had a zoo man come to our school. He had an aluminum garbage can and inside he he had a snake the size you’ve got there with Bug — and he called that snake “Garbage Can”.

    Not a snake person but I always admire those that are braver than me. GO, BUG!

  • dori

    That’s so funny she said it was a little snake! That snake is ginormous!! Bug looks even tinier next to it. Awwww. I think she was brave.

  • Blue Kaeru

    The snake is a python (constrictor) but what type, I am not sure. We have a ball python that is like that snakes WAY WAY smaller cousin. We also have a brown snake that my 9yo (that looks like a 6-7 yo, so I know how you feel about Bug) caught in the yard. The brown snake is surprisingly friendly and is neat in how it eats. It’s prey are snails, slugs, and earthworms. He slurps the worms like spaghetti.

    I love animal shows. I just wish that libraries had evening events as well. As a WOHM, my kiddos missed out on those chances.

  • a chris

    I think Bug was brave anyway. She touched it.

    Also: I’m with Blue Kaeru on the library hours thing. Of course G is only 17 months now, so we wouldn’t be going out in the evening, but our local library closes at lunchtime on Sat and doesn’t open again until Monday! As a result, schoolkids and people who work Mon-Fri get to admire it from the outside. Whoops, sorry. That was a bit of a rant. We won’t have pythons in our library anyway.

  • Ninabi

    Bug is so little and that snake is sooo big. Brave girl, she is.

    My daughter was tiny, too. Went to kindergarten in a 2T snow jacket. I hear you when people think because your child is small they aren’t able to do something. I’m sure Bug surprises everyone!

    She is so cute. Does she see herself on your blog?

    SAJ says: Yes, she does. She made me read this post to her three times actually. :)

  • Kuky

    Ok so bizarre that you just saw this because the other day my sister sent me this link to a guy who was climbing into a balloon just like this lady. And then he had another video, another day, of him jumping on a different big balloon.

    I couldn’t figure out why he had filmed himself doing all of these things. In his house. It sure wasn’t a library week where he was.

    And I bet you Alan could tell you what snake that was. He used to work at the Vivarium in Berkeley. And once he brought home a big snake that ate bunnies!! BUNNIES! I made him return it and held onto that poor bunny for dear life because it WAS life and death. I mean seriously.

  • Madge

    I see a “I’m Really FOUR not TWO” children’s book in the making.

    The snake is cool and all but I’m digging the zany balloon lady, HAHA!

    I’m terrible at finding things to do in our area. I should work harder at finding things like this.

  • Suze

    I’m so glad you and bug went to the library and went back and told them how much you enjoyed it. I work for a library and with so many budget cuts going on, every bit of positive feedback goes a long way!

  • Beth

    I LOVE Bug’s green pants and would like a pair for myself!

    SAJ says: Hee hee! I don’t know if she makes them in adult sizes but my friend Annika of Noir Bettie made them. Email her, she might make you a pair!