Mr. Vanetti and I keep a list of ideas for day trips and other activities we’d like to do together on Saturdays when we are both off of work.  Over the summer, a friend had told me about a great bookstore she’d discovered in Camarillo, and I added it to our list of places to visit.  (The list also happens to contain about six other bookstores…)  This weekend, Mr. Vanetti and I visited that bookstore.  I browsed the children’s section for new books to add to our classroom library, and, as we were paying for the books we’d found, Mr. Vanetti pointed to a picture book behind me and asked if I’d read it.  When I said I hadn’t, the owner of the store lit up and told us we HAD TO READ IT.  “Are you in a hurry?” she asked.  We were not.  “Can I read it to you?”

Typically, I am the one doing the reading aloud in my life, so I was surprised that someone was offering to read to me!  The store owner showed us the title: After the Fall: How Humpty Dumpty Got Back Up Again, and told us the story of how the author, Dan Santat, wrote the book for his wife when she was facing some personal challenges with anxiety.  As she read the book, I knew I had to share it with my class!

After the story ended and the bookstore owner could see how touched we were by the book, she said, “And this is a gift from me to you.”  She GAVE us the book!

I told the class about my extra special bookstore adventure, and they were thrilled that a perfect stranger had done such an act of kindness for our class.  They couldn’t wait for me to read the book to them!  Here’s a brief synopsis:

Everyone knows that when Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. But what happened after?

Caldecott Medalist Dan Santat’s poignant tale follows Humpty Dumpty, an avid bird watcher whose favorite place to be is high up on the city wall―that is, until after his famous fall. Now terrified of heights, Humpty can longer do many of the things he loves most.

Will he summon the courage to face his fear?

As I read, a hush fell over the class.  They hung onto every word, and only spoke every once in a while to point out details in the pictures or make a prediction about what would happen next.  (If you don’t want the book spoiled, please skip ahead to the next paragraph here.) At the end of the book, we discover that Humpty Dumpty conquers his fear of heights by climbing back up the wall… where he hatches into a bird who can fly! Here’s the final line of the book: “Maybe now you won’t think of me as that egg who was famous for falling.  Hopefully, you’ll remember me as the egg who got back up… and learned how to fly.”

After the story ended, I asked the class what they thought the author was trying to teach us.  Immediately, we landed on, “Be brave, and don’t give up!”  We talked about how it’s OK to be scared, but that we can face our fears and conquer them. As they walked out to PE, I heard several students discussing how much they loved the book and that it was a new favorite of theirs.

Since this book was given to us as a generous gift, we wrote a thank you note to the owner of Mrs. Fig’s Bookworm.  Each student drew him or herself with wings to represent our own abilities to fly over challenges. I know this is a book we will be referencing as the year goes on and we face new challenges.  We will be brave, and we won’t give up!

Finally, I urge you to visit Mrs. Fig’s or your local independent book store.  Magical things happen there!