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Cumby elementary librarian Kathryn Mabe reads “If You Give a Pig a Party” to her students over the web. Staff photo by Taylor Nye
Spurred by COVID closing, Cumby’s Kathryn Mabe comforts kids through books
CUMBY—There’s nothing more that Cumby elementary librarian Kathryn Mabe loves than a good book. When schools closed down in response to the recent COVID-19 outbreak, Mabe knew she wanted to be able to share her love of reading with her students, even while they were away from the library. Equipped with only an internet connection and her beloved stories, Mabe took to the web and has been creating videos to read to students while they are on school shutdown.
“God put it on my heart,” Mabe said. “It occurred to me that my little guys might be scared and missing school. Some of them don’t have books at home and might not have a chance to read with their parents. I thought me reading them bedtime stories could be something normal, just to give them a comfort and a smile.”
Mabe was shocked, she said, when the first video she made, with the story “What Do You Do With a Problem” by Kobi Yamada, got over a thousand views.
“I try to pick books that are funny…, some that have good illustrations, and some that might have things that have to do with things that are going on right now,” Mabe said. “Books that teach you to get along and experience new things.”
Mabe isn’t sure how the school shutdown is affecting children, she says, and she would just like to be an additional resource.
“It depends on the kid, and it depends on the family, how this would affect them. Some parents can’t take off work, so they’re going somewhere different every day. Kids out of their routine cannot feel safe. A lot of little bitty kids, it makes them nervous. My kid is fine; he gets to play video games.”
To Mabe, being able to sit down and read a story to the kids is something she hopes gives her students comfort in this unusual time.
“I wish I could give them all a squeeze and a hug, but I hope giving them a story like they do at school, I would hope that would help a little bit.”
Mabe often puts creative effort into her job as an elementary librarian. She creates bulletin boards for different months, such as black history month or womens’ history months. For book fairs, she dresses up as literary characters. This school year, she came every day as Elsa from Disney’s Frozen movies, which she said inspired both boys and girls alike to delve more into reading.
“If you add a little fun and a little magic, they learn better,” Mabe said. “There’s not a lot of reading in homes anymore, and I want to make it where they want to read and want to hear stories. I try to make it as interesting as possible. I want them to know it’s interesting and it’s a cool thing to do.”
Mabe continues to make the videos, both at the school library and at home in her bathrobe, for the kids of the school and their parents who watch. Comments from parents let her know that their children enjoyed it, and Mabe comments back, “Reading rocks!”