Abstract
It is staggering to think that this generation of children may not have the privilege of spending time in a bookstore or a library simply reading. What happens to children when bookstores and local libraries ultimately disappear?
Imagine not being able to hold a book in your hand because they are no longer available. The unavailability of physical books can have a detrimental effect in not only children but in society as a whole. Most of us grew up having access to a local library or a bookstore where we could spend hours sifting through shelves. Having this access allows us to develop socially and intellectually. Neural pathways and cognitive abilities are enhanced. According to John Dupuis, the Head of the Steacie Science and Engineering Library in York University, Toronto, ON, Canada, “the local bookstore creates all kinds of value for its community, whether it is providing community bulletin boards, putting rocking chairs in the kids section, hosting book readings, or putting benches out in front of the store. Local writers, harried parents, couples on dates, all get value from a store's existence as an inviting physical location, value separate from its existence as a transactional warehouse for books.” (Dupuis, 2009). A bookstore’s value is existential; its mark profound in not only the social arena but in the human arena.
In the same vein that there are Chuck E’ Cheese establishments spread out throughout the country; there is a need for a similar space in the reading arena. Let’s face it; children nowadays are more interested in the next video game system versus the next great read. It all started with Atari and Nintendo and as of recent times, the Microsoft Xbox and Sony Playstation systems. If a child does not have one of these systems available they simply have their parents take them to Chuck E’ Cheese and spend countless hours playing arcade games. It is in this simplistic concept that the idea of Peek Up and Read Mee is born – misspelled in purpose to make it more appealing. If kids can spend countless hours playing video games at pods like Chuck E Cheese, why not make it accessible for them to spend some time reading as well? Why not facilitate an environment for children, where they can come in and pick up a book and spend some time reading?
Public libraries and independent bookstores are closing across the country not just because the Internet is gaining strength in the eBook space, but also because libraries are failing to advertise themselves as beacons of adventure and reading pleasure. In this space is where the idea of Peek Up and Read Mee takes shape – a place where children can come and read and actually enjoy themselves. If you think of Chuck E’ Cheese for a second and what makes them successful, it is not only due to the arcade games but also the secondary products they offer, such as the birthday party space and the pizza and sodas. They understand that if they can make games available, why not make pizza available, enticing the kids to stick around longer. Peek Up and Read Mee would provide ice cream and music – a lively and inviting place to read and peruse shelves and get lost in the adventure of the imagination.
