Well, a day late, but here it is: the review. Free Comic Book Day was a blast, as always. We had about 17 Superheroes (and Villains) come hang out with the kids and take over the library. Here’s a few of us. I’m SuperGirl there, bright and blonde! 
3 FCBDs in, and this is still one of my all-time favorite days/programs/events that I do. There were games and trivia contests, coloring stations, free comics, and of course the hero meet-and-greet. We had a great turnout. I wasn’t exactly worried, but it was a beautiful day outside–and who wants to be inside on such a nice day (she said as she typed in her room, looking longingly out the window at the sunshine). There were also a ton of sports games happening in town, so kids were double and triple scheduled. But, it was a great day. We had close to 200 people attend, which is an awesome turnout for our little town.
We had some great donations from The Eye Opener in Newington and Richie’s Comic Cabana in Waterbury, so kids of all ages got comics. And their parents, too. The looks of awe and amazement at seeing the heroes on the pages in their hands brought to life is priceless. The S.H.I.E.L.D. ID that I had been toiling away on (for far too long, but that I justify doing becuase it can be used for subsequent years) was a hit–with the patrons and with our heroes/villains. 
One of my regular patrons, a 2 year old girl and her father, came in. Last year, she came right up to me, no problem. This year, she was staring at me. Just staring. And I said hello to her and was talking to her like I normally do. She got this very concerned look on her face. She recognized my voice, but not me. She didn’t get upset, she got curious. I started to sing one of the storytime songs I always sing, so she’d recognize me. She started to smile, and then looked behind me.
She was looking for Miss Molly, and SuperGirl was IN THE WAY. I found it funny, but also kind of powerful. (I realize she was young, but still) Having the ability to slip into another character for the day is great.
My second favorite story from the day came 5 days later. Another father came in to tell me that his son was STILL talking about who he met at FCBD. He wanted to know how Miss Molly knew all those heroes. He wanted to know how come the heroes took a day off and who was protecting the city while they were at the library. He wanted to know how they all got to Southington. It was a magical moment.
These are the reason I do what I do. For the kids. 
This isn’t the last you’ve heard about Superheroes from me. I’ve caught a bug! There’s something wonderful about making so many kids happy with something so simple. This is why I do what I do. This is why I love the library. This is why I find the library magical. It’s taking the ordinary and making it extraordinary.
If you haven’t already, check out the Southington Kid’s Place Facebook page for more photos and to see what else the department gets up to. We’re a bit quiet now, since we’re gearing up for Summer Reading programming, but I post fun stuff. Promise.
Happy Mother’s Day to all the Mamas and Grandmamas and Great Grandmamas out there!
Miss Molly the Librarian 