HPL Children’s Room Stories
Jennie Bechtel, HPL Patron, Hubbard, Ohio, January 2020:
“My daughter, Noelle, is currently in the 7th grade. We started coming to the Hubbard Public Library when Noelle was two years old. At that time, she was always scared and anxious; we persevered and participated in the Storytime and other programs offered by the Children’s Room librarians. Learning to read and reading were especially difficult for her. Then, at age eight, Noelle was diagnosed with dyslexia. It was difficult for her to read because “the letters don’t stay still; they move around on the page.” The issue was not that she didn’t want to read. She wants, always wanted, to read and to learn, and the Children’s Room librarians suggested specific books, both print and electronic, to help with these goals. Now, Noelle loves getting books from the library; she loves the “I Survived” books series, for example. Noelle is currently in the 7th grade; she reads books in two to three days, instead of in four to five weeks. She enjoys writing book reports for her school classes. She loves to read; she loves to learn.
Where we live (Hubbard, Ohio), there is no assistance and no specific advocates available for dyslexic individuals; the closest professional counselors and educators trained to assist dyslexic individuals are more than 80 miles and 90 minutes away. Truly, the impacts that the people in the Children’s Room at the HPL had on Noelle, and on me, have been powerful and life-changing. And, now, not only does Noelle love to read, she participates in and enjoys other programs at the library as well. Recently, she asked to join the “Tweens on Tuesday” program offered by the Children’s Room. This program, for tweens in grades 5 to 7, features a variety of small group activities and focuses on and enhances the social and other skills of participants. Noelle has grown and benefited immensely from the care, attention, and assistance provided by the Children’s Room librarians. She understands her dyslexia, her learning differences, and now both she and I are advocates for other dyslexic individuals. She learns differently than non-dyslexic individuals, but she learns immensely and joyfully.”