What the Library Means to Me

For Children's Book Festival this year we invited children from the primary schools all over Meath to write a short composition entitled "What the Library means to me."

The two winning entries are published here and we're delighted to hear of the children's great experiences in their libraries.

The winner was Sam Corkery of Kilbride NS who won a €750 Book Hamper for his class and also a €50 Book Token for himself.

The runner up was Emily Cregan from Gaelscoil na Ríthe who won a laptop for her class and a Book Token for herself.

Well done to both winners and thanks to everyone who entered.

What the Library means to me.

by Sam Corkery, Kilbride N.S.

Ever since I was a little boy my Mom brought me and my two older brothers to the library. We live outside Athboy and are lucky that it has a lovely library. I remember my brothers would enter a competition during the summer holidays and they would try and be the first ones to have their names put up on he list in the library. We would go in every week to have their cards stamped and get some new books. I was too young to take part in the competition but the librarian always gave me a card and stamped it when I came in with my brothers. She gave me a certificate and a goody bag at the end of the competition. I still have my certificates. There are lots of lovely books in the library, with lovely pictures and stories in them. I used to love them.

The librarian always knew our names. She would chat to us and was always helpful. My two older brothers love different kinds of books. She would get in books that they liked reading and recommend other books she knew they would like.

When my brothers did school projects we always went to the library to get information. She would order in any books and photocopy information we needed. We always got loads of information for our projects in the library. We also went to activities there which were fun.

As I got older I found reading books myself hard. The librarian ordered in books that I liked reading.

Covid has changed everything. Writing this has made me remember how much I liked going there. We always went to the post office for a treat afterwards. The next project we get from school will be awesome as I will go to the library and will have lots of information for it.

What the Library Means to Me.

By Emily Cregan from Gaelscoil na Ríthe, Dunshaughlin.

When I go to the library, it transfers me into a world of imagination and creativity, where elves and dragons are friends, where princesses have unicorns as pets and a magic castle under a curse. At the library I am as happy as can be. Picking tonnes of books out to read, reading books expands your imagination to write your own stories. When I’m at the library I feel creativity fill my mind of whole new worlds expanding in the one building, as if I am a character in a fairytale, who found a love for reading in the most wonderful places. Time at the library is great. I wish I could spend all my time at the library. Picking a book out is a wonderful feeling you could only experience in a library. A library holds the key of creativity and when you instantly open a book, you would think about reading loads more books.

Everyday I open a book and start reading and suddenly all the imagination floods my mind. At the library I can let my curiosity flow through all my imagination in a bubble for all my thoughts about the books I’m reading. I love going to the library, borrowing a book and finishing a book, just to come back to the library to get another book. I find that the library is a calm place to take in your new surroundings and get more imagination for you own stories. All the many reasons why I love reading at the library and why I love the library.