>Betsy Bird says goodbye to the bear who has been her daily companion for lo these many years. I was glad to be able to pay my respects myself last week. Betsy was out sick when Richard and I were there, but we did get to have a nice chat with John Peters, taking a break from packing up all the stuff that is the Donnell Central Children’s Room. He even showed us his collection of “wishing candles,” an NYPL storytelling staple introduced (if I have this right) by Mary Gould Davis in the 1920s. I was taught in library school by Ellin Greene that one would give, say, a birthday child the privilege of snuffing the candle at the close of story hour, but John tells me that in these more egalitarian times, everybody gets to make a wish and blow the candle out.
About Roger Sutton
>Hard to believe that
Donnell is about to vanish into the cellar of a luxury hotel! It was a valued resource to adults and children.
>The Brits do want their Pooh back!
A.D.
>As do the Greeks their Marbles!
>maybe there could be a sort of tri-national hostage exchange.
>Roger, the tradition may have varied from librarian to librarian. In Ellen Tarry’s 1946 book “My Dog Rinty,” the photograph of a story hour in the Harlem Branch shows Augusta Baker allowing all the children to make a wish and blow out the candle.