If you're not familiar with Mychal, you should be. He is a social media sensation, the resident librarian for PBS, and the new host of Reading Rainbow.
I first met Mychal in 2013. My son was 6 and Mychal was a children's librarian here in Fairfield. He eventually became the supervising librarian of the branch. He is a wonderful person, so welcoming and inclusive and everything a librarian should be.
When the library announced this event, demand was enormous. There were 600 free tickets available, divided among all Solano County Library branches. The morning before we left for Las Vegas, I stood in line outside the library in the cold for a little over an hour to get my ticket. Time passed quickly though, as strangers became friends. The people in line reflected the diversity of Solano County in every sense of the word, but we all had one thing in common: a love of the library, a passion for books, and a deep appreciation for what Mychal has done to spread library joy.
The event was held at the Fairfield Community Center. (The last time I was there was for the 2024 Senior Celebration.) Once again, I made friends in line: this time, with a charming pair of twins in kindergarten. As we entered, each of the 600 attendees received free books from each of the four authors / illustrators (affiliate links below).
I'm So Happy You're Here: A Celebration of Library Joy is Mychal's debut book. It is a delightful tribute to libraries and the people they serve: everyone! I love Lorraine Nam's illustrations.
The Day the Books Disappeared, by Joanna Ho, is a really fun book about a boy with a special interest in planes. He doesn't understand why other types of books exist until he takes the time to see why his friends like them.
Partypooper is the 20th book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney. It's clever and funny and a great addition to the beloved series.
No Way, Wash Day (written by Adrienne Thurman and illustrated by Kaylani Juanita) is a charming book about a little girl who loves everything about her hair except when it's time to wash it.
Each of the authors were introduced, then Mychal came on stage to lead the panel discussion.
After the presentation, there was an opportunity to meet the authors and get your books signed. What a wonderful event! Huge thanks to Solano County Library, Jeff Kinney, Joanna Ho, Kaylani Juanita, and Mychal Threets. I am so glad to have been there and I hope this post inspires you to visit your local library and get to know your librarian. They just might become famous someday!
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