Howard – The Children’s Hour

On Black Friday, when most people were shopping, I had an opportunity to tour the new Perley Canal Mill Apartments that are opening this week in Laconia.

I’m sorry I can’t move in. The contemporary homes are filled with light and have large open spaces, walk-in closets (the size, 260- to 360-square-feet, of new micro-apartments in New York) and the original brick and ceiling structures found in the former mill building. One can walk out through the door onto the paved river walk from Beacon Street West down to, and along the Winnipesaukee River, adjacent to the apartments that form the walking trail along the water in and around downtown Laconia.

Then I drove past the Colonial Theater and thought about what it will be like to have a cultural center in downtown Laconia, open for everyone in the Lakes Region. There is now one art gallery and perhaps another will open. My fantasy, which I shared with Mayor Edward Engler earlier in the week, is a studio set up for bookbinding and printing, with a working letterpress. Dan Lasata, assistant project manager for Chinburg Builders, in charge of construction at the Perley Canal Mill Apartments, is an artist and showed me photographs of urban art projects he has designed and thought about for Laconia. It’s exciting to see the transformation from visit to visit.

The highlight of being in Laconia last week was the opportunity to read from my book, A Day with Bonefish Joe, to a group of second and third graders from Holy Trinity School at the Laconia Public Library. The children’s rooms downstairs are just enchanting. If you haven’t been there, I recommend a visit even if you don’t have children. The Holy Trinity children visit often and they knew exactly where to sit and how to behave. They patiently told me their names and waited in turn to ask questions.

The fun of reading to children is to learn about what they are thinking and feeling. Have they been fishing? Of course. And what have they caught? They can name the fish by name.

Bonefish Joe Cleare was a real person and a legendary bonefish guide and I enjoy asking the children if there is a special person they would like to meet. There are always sports figures and Disney characters from various movies I probably haven’t seen. So imagine my surprise when Ian raised his hand and said, in a clear strong voice, “Eric Carle.”

If you have children you know about Eric Carle. His book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, sells one copy every second and has been translated into more than sixty-two languages. Eric Carle is probably the most well-known children’s book illustrator living and working today. In fact, I had just spent the previous day at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, in Amherst, Massachusetts, to attend a program about Alice in Wonderland. It is just a few hours from Laconia and I asked the children if they would like to plan a visit and perhaps meet Eric Carle? All nodded in agreement, and Randy Brough, the director of the library, volunteered to assist with organizing a bus trip in the spring. You will be welcome to join us.

There is much attention today on meditation in our daily lives. I think a children’s hour is just as therapeutic.

 

The Children’s Hour

By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

 

Between the dark and the daylight,

When the night is beginning to lower,

Comes a pause in the day’s occupations,

That is known as the Children’s Hour. …

Elizabeth Howard’s career intersects journalism, marketing and communications. Her children’s book, A Day with Bonefish Joe, has recently been published by David R. Godine. She lives in New York City and has a home in Laconia. You can send her a note at: [email protected]