In the middle of the children's department at my library, there is a boat.
Yup. A boat.
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| Wall of a library that is a replica of the side of a steamboat. |
This monstrosity lines the entire right (erm, starboard) side of the room with bright colors, steps and a facade that clearly screams: PLAY ON ME!
I hear it used to be worse. It used to have a steering wheel and I think paddles, and like, cannons, or something. Its safety has increased (there is now vinyl lining the steel sides, and the wheel was taken down after only two kids' heads got stuck and started bleeding).
But the worst part about it, is it's a memorial. So that means, no matter how many times the staff can be like, "seriously, there's a boat in our library" it cannot be taken down.
I wish I was kidding or even remotely hyperbolic about any of this. Maybe there weren't any cannons (the only things that would give those powder monkeys any responsibility at all) but really, that's it.
by Mo Willems. This activity was a little more vague, and solicited a wide variety of responses. I decided to take a more narrative approach so that everything could be included and make a coherent story.
