Books Are Cool

We would be fun. We would be creative. But most of all, we would be in charge. There were three of them, ages 7 to 9, and we had readily agreed to baby-sit one recent afternoon. Using a take-charge tone of voice, we suggested some finger-painting to our youthful charges. “Buzz off, dummy, we want to watch MTV,” said the 8-year-old. We would have to be even more creative. Firmly, we offered a game of kick ball out on the lawn. No dice. A sing-along? They laughed and made funny faces. “And don’t even think of reading books,” said the 7-year-old. “Books are dumb.” They sat on the couch with arms crossed, waiting. Then we told them about a stonecutter, Tasaku, in a faraway land who envied a prince, until the Spirit of the Mountains granted him his wish of being the sun, a cloud and finally a mountain. “Tell us more!” one of them said. We had a better idea. We told them to take their parents to the free Family Story Hour at the Loyola Village Branch at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, where they could meet Gerald McDermott, the author of “The Stone-Cutter: A Japanese Folk Tale” and other fables. The library is located at 7114 W. Manchester Ave., Westchester. For information, call (213) 670-5436. “I guess books are pretty cool after all,” said the 9-year-old.