Eleanor's new "school": the public library!

Kindergarten was just made compulsory in Bosnia, but it's not part of the school system. Bosnians are incredulous when I suggest it might be. Kindergarten here is firmly entrenched in the world of preschools and day care.

We've struggled to find a good fit for Eleanor, who wants more than anything to be in school and who needs some structured way to meet and play with children her age. She did okay in the first kindergarten we placed her in, but it was never a perfect fit since all the other kids were there for day care and she would just show up for a couple of hours a day.

We think we may have found the right spot for her now, though. The public library's children's division offers a daily drop-in kindergarten/preschool. The librarians dart between the check-out desk and the 7-15 children (ages 3-6) who come every day for stories, games, songs, and crafts.

I think children's librarians are a special breed--energetic, fun, passionate about books and about children both. Hooray for librarians!