Rahkis Book Drive

Oh the friends I’ve made during these past 4 ½ years! It makes me feel so emotional when I think about it.

I went to Rashkis Elementary School dressed as the Book Fairy yesterday. I talked and read to 4 different groups of 1^st and 3^rd graders. They agreed to host a book drive for Karl’s Books and they had a surprise for me! They had already gotten a jump on the project and collected over 700 books! All 4 groups were full of wonderfully behaved and attentive children. Some asked hard questions like how did Karl die and why and one little girl really understood and said to me, “How sad” and I agreed.

But they also asked me kid questions like if my wings were real and as I showed them photos of Karl and what he loved to do and continued doing right up to the end, none of them could imagine a boy wearing lip stick and makeup to be an actor in a play. I also told them he had to wear red tights in a 5^th grade Shakespeare play and that brought out laughs.

I read the 1^st graders Slinky Malinki, Open the Door by Lynley Dodd and The Wonderful Life of a Fly Who Couldn’t Fly by Bo Lozoff. And I read the 3^rd graders Lost in the Outdoors A True Story by Birdman Dave Gulick. I picked these books because of the message and the animals involved. I was told by the class that Birdman Dave lives in Carrboro and had been to their school with his green-winged macaw named Belle, who the story is about. I was pleased to hear this and the children enjoyed all of the books.

I want to thank them for their help with Karl’s Books.

Peace to you all.

My love, Kathy

The Book Fairy

PS There was a photographer following me at the school from The Chapel Hill Magazine taking pictures of me. My inner self was wondering how in the world I got myself into this. My good friend Angie Sloan is a writer for this magazine. I’ll let you know if the story makes it to print.