The Rainy-Day Library Corner

Rain tapped softly on the classroom windows all morning.

The playground looked shiny and quiet, so the class stayed indoors for a little longer than usual.

Their teacher opened the reading corner and said, 'Today we will make our own tiny library time.'

Mats were spread on the floor. A basket of books was placed in the middle. One child chose a picture book about animals. Another picked a book with big rhyme words. Mehul looked for a story with buses because he loved noticing wheels, bells, and busy roads.

At first, everyone spoke at the same time. Then the teacher smiled and showed them a simple plan.

'Choose one book. Find one calm spot. Read one page quietly. Then, if you want, tell a friend one thing you noticed.'

The room changed quickly. Pages turned. Fingers pointed to pictures. Soft voices whispered, 'I found a tiger.' 'This page has a moon.' 'Look, this bus is red.'

Mehul sat near the shelf and followed the words with his finger. Some words were easy. Some words were new. When he reached a long word, he listened to the teacher say it slowly, and then he tried it too.

By the time the rain slowed down, the reading corner felt warm and full, like a tiny world made of stories.

Before lunch, the teacher asked, 'What did we learn from our library time?'

Hands went up.

'Books can be shared.'

'Quiet helps me hear the words.'

'I can ask for help when a word is hard.'

Mehul hugged his bus book and thought, Rainy days could be reading days too.