Kemi is about the youngest person who uses the library. She is 6 years old. Her elder sister brings her along whenever she is coming. She was very serious with her reading. I would patrol her perimeter hoping that she would take a break from her reading but this young Miss. did not even look in my direction at all.

When I eventually got my chance to talk to her, she had a bottle of water stuck in her mouth. I stoop to meet her height and put my own bottle in my mouth too. “You think you’re the only one with water bottle abi?” I challenge her jokingly. She looks at me very keenly and then removes the bottle from her mouth. “What class are you?” I ask. She answered: “Nursery 2”

She is hugging her bottle closely to her chest and her eyes never leave me. I am smiling and she’s smiling too. After a few seconds, I say to her: “can you sing me a song?” She keeps looking at me. She’s shy. Then I ask her if she knows ‘Rain, rain go away…’ Her face brightens up as she nods. I tell her to sing it for me. Excited and with all the confidence she can muster, she begins:

“Ray, ray
Go-away,
Saturday another day
Littu children coman play”

[END]