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A Meekins Summertime Book Display: To start off the summer of 2025, I asked all the Meekins librarians, volunteers, Trustees, and Friends to share their favorite children’s stories. There were no limits. No format restrictions. No time constraints. It could be something they read and remembered from their own childhood. Or something they read to their children or grandchildren. Or just a story they particularly loved.

Responses came in almost instantly. Everyone had a favorite or two or three or more… Choosing just one was the challenge, so you’ll sometimes see one person’s name next to multiple books. Surprisingly, or not, there was very little overlap in individual titles—but lots of: “I like that one too” agreement when people looked at the books their colleagues chose.

What you find in this exhibition are stories and poems and tales and science texts that cross generations, centuries, genres and more. There are both classic books, like “The Chronicles of Narnia” and “The Secret Garden” and current stories like “Zen Shorts” and “Frog and Toad are Friends”. There are books beautifully illustrated like “Stellaluna”, and books quirkily illustrated like “Hank Finds an Egg”. There are books that make you laugh like “Eloise”. There are books that touch your heart like “The Wind in the Willows”. There are books for the Christmas season like “Santa Cows”, and books that were probably taken along on kids’ vacations like “Blueberries for Sal”. There are books that are family heirlooms like “Cat Stories” and books that were read aloud for family time like “We’re Going on a Bear Hunt.” There are books that were gifts to the owner like “Lucille” and books a person often selected to give as a gift like “Ralph Flies the Coop”. What they all have in common is that they are books special to the person who shared them with us.

Do you have a favorite title and story that goes with it? Add it to the comments. This summer, come enjoy all these favorite children’s books. Daria D’Arienzo, Meekins Archivist #throwbackthursday; #tbt.

Posted to Facebook 7/3/2025

a wooden table displays five vintage books with title cards, including "the world of science," "hans brinker," "old testament stories," and "finger plays by emilie poulsson.
a wooden bookshelf displays an assortment of children's picture books, arranged upright and front facing on three shelves in a public indoor space.
a wooden display shelf in a library holds a variety of children’s books with illustrated covers arranged on three tiers.
a reading area in a library with a cushioned chair, wooden shelves displaying books, a side table with more books, and a colorful quilt hanging on the wall.
a display of children's books arranged on a wooden surface, with a red napkin, a tea cup, a notepad, and a pen in front.
book cover of "blueberries for sal" by robert mccloskey, featuring an illustrated child holding a blueberry with a silver medal on the top right corner.
cover of the book "frog and toad are friends" by arnold lobel, showing two illustrated frogs sitting and reading together, with a 60th anniversary seal.
cover of the book "we're going on a bear hunt" by michael rosen and helen oxenbury, showing an adult carrying a child with three children walking.
book cover of "the chronicles of narnia" by c.s. lewis, featuring a lion's face and a person riding a horse or similar animal in a forest at night.
three cows wearing santa hats, one with a red bow, stand in a festive living room with a clock, christmas decorations, and gifts behind them. the book title is "santa cows.
a worn copy of the children's book "lucille" by arnold lobel, featuring a pink horse illustration on the cover.
a copy of "the secret garden" by frances hodgson burnett, featuring an illustrated cover of a child opening a door, with pictures by tasha tudor.
a worn cover of "the wind in the willows," illustrated by ernest h. shepard, featuring a small drawing of three animals and a leafy border pattern.
a stuffed animal character named hank looks at an egg on the ground in a forest setting. the book cover reads "hank finds an egg" by rebecca dudley.
cover of the book "stellaluna" by janell cannon, showing a bat hanging from a branch with birds flying in the background.
book cover of "eloise" by kay thompson, featuring an illustration of a girl with messy hair sitting on a chair, writing her name on a large mirror above a decorative table.
the cover of the book "zen shorts" by jon j muth featuring a panda holding a red umbrella, floating above rooftops with cherry blossom branches and a medal in the top left corner.
a worn copy of "the giant golden book of cat stories" featuring illustrated cats dressed in hats and scarves on the cover, displayed upright in a library.