Library Wishlist 12

 The Fairy Godmother of all library wishlists waved her magic wand over all the libraries in the Land of the Long White Cloud. She had heard all their prayers (or rather, read all the suggestions in the suggestions box) and had the authority granted by the Powers That Be to grant every wish. 

Librarians woke up to find that all their wishes had been granted and their libraries transformed overnight. 

At Ranui, a wild jungle had emerged and tamariki were delighted to find that the green gorilla had NOT eaten their librarian after all. She was found up in one of the acoustic trees eating bananagrams, and the library now had several reading hammocks and swing chairs where lucky readers could relax and read at the same time. What a novel idea.

There was also a wild robot who went round checking everyone's books while vaccuming the carpet. The carpet was now soft and spongy, and in some places, even bouncy. Because of this, no shoes were allowed in the library, special library bunny slippers had to be worn. 

At morning tea (now renamed yum cha) and lunch time (kai time) the Yum Cha book restaurant operated, with trolley service and a la carte menu. At other times you were allowed book snacks/browsing/grazing whenever you wanted. You rang a bell, and a librarian would come to you with books or her read aloud function, meaning if you had your hand stamped she would read out loud with you. 

There was now a  book carousel with a constantly rotating book display, and a great glass elevator, which took you to new reading heights. Mushroom chairs in different colours had popped up from the floor, and there were now reading lamps in different colours. There was a book-o-matic machine that when you typed in your request, it spat out a book although every once in a while it might give you slime. 

More puppets joined the library, in fact, all the storybook characters were there,  Goldilocks, the three bears, the three little pigs,  the pigeon, Gerald, Piggy, Wally,  Wonky Donkey, Paddington, Hairy Maclary and Slinky Malinki. Even all the toys out of Toy story. The library had come to life.

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T also woke up that morning and found 'her' room had turned back into a library and her Tim Tams and Tiny Teddy Trolley had been moved back into the staffroom which was now called the Teaching Centre. It now had desks for each teacher and a seating plan, and the teachers all had to wear uniforms as well, and put their hands up if they wanted to go to the toilet. 

There was a big map on the wall with a big arrow on it pointing to the North East. Whaea Caryn said that's where I'm from, Canada. I'm so glad that we are going to teach there as that's where all the best teachers come from. T said that's right Whaea Caryn, and all of you now have puffy jackets with your names on the back so you have no excuse. Now let's get to work. 

T loved teaching during the school holidays. It was the only then when her teachers had time to learn anything new. After saying a karakia for winds to blow from the North East, the teachers practiced their pepeha. It was important to know where they came from, in case they lost their passports in Canada.