For as long as people have been around, there have been stories. We are surrounded by stories every day. Storytelling is an integral part of our lives. Movies tell stories. Pictures tell stories. Even songs tell stories. When we talk to a friend or a family about an event, we are telling a story.
Storytelling in an art, and the storytelling that resonates with people grabs their attention, and Marjorie Bowman, the storytime legend of Davis-Kidd/Booksellers at Laurelwood/Novel, is definitely an attention-grabber. “Most of the songs and dances I do at storytime are from my childhood or from my children’s childhood,” says Bowman.
“Children are just fun. I am kind of an introvert, so it’s nice to work with children and not have to be the disciplinarian. I think that books and learning to love books is very important; it’s important for kids to love books. I have worked at the bookstore for over 20 years and during most of that time, I have done storytime. It’s just a lot of fun to do singing and dancing when you have a bunch of kids together.
“There is a tactile difference between having a book in your lap and having a parent sit and read to you or having a teacher read a book to you rather than looking at a screen. We know that too much screen time isn’t good for anyone, much less children. With the art that is available, especially in children’s books, it is totally different when you are reading a book and feeling a book in your hands. Books can become a part of your creative and imaginative being.
“One of my favorite things about storytime is when I am out and about and at the grocery store and toddlers would notice me and whisper to their moms. Children would recognize me, and moms would say hi and tell me how many years they took their kids to storytime.”
Bowman has many heart-warming stories of her adoring storytime families. She has over the years gotten many cards and handwritten notes with scribbles on them. She has collected them all in a box and looks at them whenever she likes to reminisce about the special times with the children.
“Moms would write, ‘Thank you Miss Marjorie,’ as my storytime was for toddlers. I had one little girl whose mom brought her in for a storytime because she was going to have a heart surgery later that week. And she wanted to make sure she got to see Miss Marjorie before she had a heart surgery.”
Storytime with Bowman has always been a popular event, and now she has decided to retire. “I am not a good self-starter; I have lots of plans. I am hoping to make my first quilt [in retirement],” she says. “I have been married for 47 years. My husband and I are busy sprucing up our house where we have lived for the last 12 years. Just doing things which you necessarily don’t have time to do, when you are working a full-time job.”
Bowman had intended to retire in the spring of 2020 but the pandemic didn’t allow her adoring storytime families to send her off in style. Novel is celebrating their fifth birthday and Miss Marjorie’s final storytime on Saturday , August 20th, at 11 a.m. at Novel’s event space. Bowman says, “We do a lot of singing and dancing. We had a good time. Storytime and books just enrich children’s lives.”
For more info, visit novelmemphis.com.http://novelmemphis.com/event/novel-turns-five-one-final-storytime-miss-marjorie