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By Laura Drinan
Hometown Weekly Reporter
Superman and Batman have been two of the world’s most beloved superheroes for decades. Children have been fascinated with the two characters’ strength and bravery, and the Dover Town Library (DTL) frequently reminds their young patrons that while Metropolis and Gotham City may not be real places, there are heroes in Dover with the same fortitude and courage.
On December 20, the DTL invited Dover Police Department Chief Peter McGowan for their “Local Hero Storytime.” Chief McGowan sat with a stack of books beside him, welcoming the children as they plopped down on the multicolored floor cushions placed around the Community Room.
The children leaned forward curiously as the local hero began reading “Robert the Police Horse,” a story about a horse’s allergies, which ended up saving the city from robbers. Next, Chief McGowan picked up Dr. Seuss’s “Are You My Mother?” While many of the children had enjoyed the book before, they embarked on the little bird’s journey to find his mother with the Chief.
Children crowd around Dover Police Department’s Chief McGowan at the library’s ‘Local Hero Storytime.’
Although the children had superheroes on their mind, Chief McGowan opted for an animal-themed read-aloud with the next book: “Little Oink,” a story about a neat and orderly piglet who refuses to adhere to the stereotype of dirty pigs.
After reading “Clip Clop,” which sent the children into fits of giggles, one boy requested that they stop reading books and do something else for the remainder of the storytime. However, Chief McGowan knew he had more gems in his stack of books that the children would enjoy. So, he opened “Toad on the Road: A Cautionary Tale,” which had the little ones reading along as a cartoonish toad stirred trouble on a road.
As the half-hour wound down, Chief McGowan read a few more stories, including “Don’t Splash the Sasquatch,” the second of Kent Redeker’s sasquatch books. After he finished reading “Say Hello Like This,” the children crowded around Chief McGowan to look at the books more closely and thank him for visiting the library.
“That was a blast,” said Chief McGowan. “I look forward to it more than anyone realizes.”
Although he may not have heat vision or use a grappling hook every day on the job, the DTL’s Local Hero Storytime reminds children that a person doesn’t have to have supernatural powers or fancy gadgets to be a hero.
A group of children at the Dover Town Library sit front and center at the ‘Local Hero Storytime,’ where Chief McGowan held a read-aloud.
