When the Patches family moved to Macadamia Grove, Pippa Patches was a little surprised to find that the village did not have a library. An avid reader herself, she thought it a pity that the villagers did not have the opportunity to borrow books.
As time passed, and the family settled in, the thought came to Pippa that perhaps she could do something about it herself. After talking the matter over with her husband, her mind was made up. The next day, on the pretext of collecting Zac from school, she stopped to chat to the headmaster, Mr Buckley. He was a member of the Village Council, and invited her to put her idea to the Council at their next meeting.
When the day came, Pippa was quite nervous, but she was greeted courteously by the members of the Council (most of whom she knew by now anyway), and took the seat that the chairman, Edward Babblebrook, offered her.
Pippa spoke intelligently about the importance of reading, and about how a library could be a valuable part of the community, and the Council members listened carefully.
"Well I for one agree that it would be a lovely idea," said Amber Hazelnut, "but where would the library be? And who would run it?"
"Somewhere central would be best," Mr Buckley put in. "From my point of view, it would be excellent if it was close to the school. We do have a number of books that the students can take home to read, but a wider selection would be great for them - and for their learning."
"I may have a suggestion," said Brooke Rivertail. "If we are to go ahead with this idea, there is still a building in the village square that noone has opened a shop in as yet. The Council could claim it, and employ someone to run it. It's only small, but it might do."
"As for who is to run the library, I for one would be very happy to volunteer some of my time," said Pippa. "I think some of the other villagers might, too. My husband and I have also collected some encyclopedias and other books that we would be pleased to donate, if you like."
In the end, it was settled. The Council voted unanimously to forge ahead with the library plan. The Council would own the building, and agreed to finance the purchase of books for the library. The day-to-day running was to be done by a team of volunteers, headed by Pippa herself.
After that, things moved quickly. Brooke Rivertail had asked her husband to supply shelves for the library. He arrived early one morning with Hawthorne Prickles, and began installing them.
"Phew, this is heavy work!"
Next, the books began to arrive. First, the encyclopedias and books from other lands that the Patches had donated, then the books ordered by the Council, which came in several deliveries by post. Pippa took charge of them all, and was soon happily stocking the shelves.
Suddenly there was a knock on the door, and someone poked their head in. Pippa was thrilled to see who had stopped by - it was Ariane Woolly!
Ariane was something of a local celebrity, as she was a very popular children's author. Pippa's daughter Sarah, like many Sylvanian children, had spent many happy hours reading her books. Pippa hadn't met Ariane properly yet, and felt a little star-struck!
"Hello," said Ariane. "It's Pippa, isn't it? I do hope I'm not interrupting, but I heard about the library, and I think it is a wonderful idea. I wanted to stop by and donate some of my books. Just a couple today I'm afraid, as I had a few extras of this one already, but I have asked my publisher to send copies of all of them to you, and one of my husband's book too. I do hope that wasn't too presumptuous of me!" she added, looking slightly embarrassed.
"Oh no, it's wonderful! Thank you so much!" cried Pippa. "The Council has been very generous, and have ordered what books they could, but we can always do with more. It's very sweet of you."
"No problem at all," Ariane smiled. "Now I must rush off I'm afraid - I've left the twins with Angel, and I'm really a bit concerned that they might be a bit much for him to deal with if I'm away for too long!"
Pippa was pleased to find that there was great enthusiasm among the other villagers for the library too, and several had put their hands up to help her run it. Willow Thistlethorn was one of the first to volunteer, and her eldest daughter, Celeste, insisted on joining her to help set things up.
"Look Mum, it's
Goodnight Honeybee! This was Ash's favourite when he was little!"
After the Thistlethorns had left, and Pippa was just about to head home for the day, Edward Babblebrook stopped by to check on progress.
"I must say it's all starting to look good, Pippa!" he said cheerfully. "There's quite a few empty shelves though," he added, looking around. "I'm sorry we couldn't buy more just now, but books are quite expensive, as you know, and it's all the Council could spare at the moment."
"Oh that's quite alright," Pippa said with a smile. "This is a very nice start, and the Woollys have offered some of their books too. It will probably take people a little while to get into the swing of borrowing from the library anyway. Perhaps we might have a fundraiser or two later on, to pay for some new books?"
"That sounds like a great idea," Edward agreed. "Have you found anyone to help you run things as yet? Isabella has a knack for ferreting out volunteers, if you need her to help."
Pippa laughed. "Oh, that's quite alright. A few people have volunteered already - I have made up a list for you - and I shall put a sign up on opening day if we still need more. Really though, everyone has been very kind already - it has all happened more quickly than I expected!"
"Yes, the people here are generally pretty helpful, aren't they? That's good to hear," Edward said, pleased. He was very proud of Macadamia Grove, and relieved that even as the little village had grown larger and busier, still it had not lost any of its friendliness, and sense of community. Not for the first time, he found himself reflecting that he wouldn't want to live anywhere else!
