Library Senses: Smelling and breathing

Opening a new school creates some interesting opportunities in library life. One of which is the joy that you get from opening boxes of books, and breathing in the new book smell. It's not quite the same as new car smell, in my opinion it is far more rich!  With 14,000+ new books though, the entire room has new book smell.

When going to rooms to read with students and teachers as part of my introduction lessons, we talked  heavily about the reader and what a reader brings to a book. All of our experiences, understandings, and knowledge of a topic help to enhance what we are reading. We talked about finding books just right for them- the ones that made them dream, wonder, picture, question, create. 

We talked about series and old favorites. We talked about new books that they hadn't seen before, and then- I told them to be sure to open the book and smell! They looked at me crazy-like.

Why smell the book? 

Each one of them would be checking out a book no one else had checked out yet. 

Each book would have it's own unique new-book smell. 

Each book had a story or information waiting to come to life in the hands of the reader. 

So? 

Smell. 

Delight. 

And, breathe life into that book.

You, the reader, are what makes it come alive. 

Breathe it in.