‘The Lion Of The Senate’

Signs Off On A Third Grader’s Birthday Book

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By Shannon Hicks

Hayley Isdale may have spent her February school break with her family in Washington, D.C., but the third grader brought back a great idea that turned into a special gift for her school library. Thanks to some quick thinking and the loan of a book Hayley had donated to Head O’ Meadow School last year, the elementary school library now has an autographed copy of My Senator and Me: A Dog’s-Eye View of Washington, DC by Senator Edward Kennedy, known affectionately by his colleagues as “The Lion of the Senate.”

Head O’ Meadow School’s Birthday Book Club allows students to pick out books that can be “given” to the library in their name. At the beginning of each school year parents receive a note from Joyce Kuzmick, the library and media specialist at the school, explaining how the club works. Parents can send in a check for $15 (either at the beginning of the school year or closer to their child’s birthday) and then during their child’s birthday month, they have the opportunity to go through the books that have been purchased with Birthday Book Club money by Ms Kuzmick.

“This is how we get some of the ‘fun books’ for the library,” said the librarian. “I have to use the budget for curriculum and mainstream literature. With the money the parents send in, and through discounts from places like Barnes & Noble and Amazon.com that they offer to schools and teachers, I’m able to get high quality books, as well as some paperbacks, for our collection.”

Once each month the library hosts a morning session where the kids who are celebrating birthdays that month can visit with Ms Kuzmick and pick the book they want to be put into the library in their name. A plaque with each child’s photo and birthday, along with a notation that the child has donated the book, is affixed to the flyleaf of the book.

“It’s been a wonderful source for books,” said Ms Kuzmick. So far this school year 140 new books have been assured to the school’s collection through this program.

Hayley and her parents, John and Jolene Isdale, spent two very busy days in the nation’s capitol last month. It was the first time in the city for Hayley, who “liked it very, very much,” she said, even if she was tired at the end of the visit. “We did a lot of walking. I was really tired.”

Her favorite part of the city, she said, “was probably seeing the White House.”

Hayley visited the offices of Senator Kennedy and Senator Chris Dodd, State Representative Chris Murphy, and Cynthia Lummis, the Congressional representative for Wyoming.

“We didn’t get to meet anybody because they were out at recess,” said Hayley.

“The staff in all the offices were there though, and they were very nice,” said John Isdale. “They were very relaxed and able to talk with us, and they gave us suggestions of places to go and see.”

In addition to the White House, the Isdales visited the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument, the Air & Space Museum, the American History Museum, where Hayley saw “an old computer” (circa early 1970s), and a pair of familiar ruby slippers.

“We saw the real Dorothy’s sparkly slippers,” she said.

Another memorable part of the visit came when a motorcade passed the Isdales as they were walking Thursday afternoon. Four large Suburbans, with darkened windows, and a full police escort that closed off side streets as the motorcade made its way down a main thoroughfare, passed the family.

“I think it was either the Obama daughters getting home from school or Mrs Obama coming home from shopping,” said Hayley.

While visiting one of the Congressional offices, John Isdale started talking with one of the staff members about one of Hayley’s favorite books, a copy of which his daughter had donated to her school library last year in honor of her seventh birthday.

“Hayley loves dogs so we think that was probably part of why she chose this for the school library,” John said. Hayley, in fact, is the unofficial owner of the Isdale family dog, a Pembroke Welsh Corgi named Bonnie Belle, who the family adopted in September.

My Senator and Me is told from the point of view of Senator Kennedy’s Portuguese water dog, Splash. The canine takes readers on a tour of some of the city’s monuments and then describes a typical day, from staff discussion of a bill and a ride on the underground tram between the Senate and Capitol to a press conference, a committee meeting, and even a floor vote.

After a staff member suggested the Isdales send Hayley’s copy of the book to Washington for an autograph, things started moving. Hayley was able to borrow the book back from the school library and it was sent to the Senator’s office. It returned to Newtown quickly, arriving back at the Isdale home on March 10.

Hayley’s third grade class, taught by Tina Murphy, has Sharing Day each Monday so Hayley decided to hang on to the book until March 16. She showed off the new autograph and talked about her trip that day, and then brought the book back to the school library. It turns out Hayley’s is the first book in the Birthday Book Club Collection that has been signed.

Visiting authors will often sign copies of their book for the school before or after a presentation, but “this is the first autographed Birthday Book Club Book that we have,” confirmed Ms Kuzmick. “It’s really special.”

Hayley was a little surprised when she received the book back from its trip to Washington, D.C. Her one disappointment? There was only one signature when she opened the front cover.

“His dog was going to sign it but I think he was probably at a meeting,” said Hayley.