Story time at Barnes & Noble

Thursday’s story time was over by the time we got there. But Siddarth didn’t seem particularly disappointed. He liked clowning around the place; tried out the story-teller’s chair… …and moved on to the desk-top train in the children’s section, Siddarth’s favorite spot in Barnes & Nobel.

This book-store at Dublin, CA, is child-friendly and young mothers find it a convenient place to take their children to. Public park can be hot nowadays; Barnes & Nobel is air-conditioned. Apart from setting aside a corner of the store for children’s section the book-store has an in-house story-teller; and her twice weekly story-reading sessions are a hit with neighborhood moms with toddlers in tow.

I wouldn’t say Siddarth is a book-lover, though he would want his mom to read him a book or two at bed-time. And she alternates readings from Elmo and Barney with children’s publications of Sri Ramakrishna Matt, Chennai. Our 30-month –old friend is familiar with major figures in the who’s who of Hindu mythology; he can tell you the names of Shiva’s sons or who Ganapathy’s mom is.

When it comes to relationships within his family Siddarth has some fixed notions. For instance he can’t see how his young brother Nikhil can be my grandson as well. That I can be his daddy’s daddy is unacceptable. In Siddarth’s relationships scheme, his mom, dad and brother Nikhil are simply un-shareable.