“Our favorite place [to read] might be in front of our gas fireplace in the family room,” wrote Judy Nadler, an ethics consultant and a former Santa Clara Mayor, in an email. “We have been known to read at the kitchen table, on the hammock in the back yard. We love to read so we consider every place a good place to pick up a book!”
Thanks to a donation from Nadler and her husband Jerry, a retired judge, the Central Park Library now houses Arielle’s Reading Corner, situated in a children’s book area where folk tales and fairytales are shelved. Here, one can snuggle up to a good book on the seats or admire art work from children’s books on the wall. A Jan. 28 ribbon cutting recognized the Nadlers for their generous donation. Thinking of their late daughter Arielle, the Nadlers brought yellow roses and set them next to the sign announcing Arielle’s Reading Corner.
“I am honored that Jerry and Judy–who trusted us to transform their vision of a delightful colorful reading nook into reality–chose the library for their generous gift,” said Tracy Wingrove, executive director of the Santa Clara City Library Foundation & Friends. “We couldn’t have done it without the help of designers Cathy Tanner and Kelly Banks, who donated their time and expertise to help us select the furniture and hang the prints, to the library staff who transformed this area, and to Ellin Klor [the library’s family literacy librarian] who has been a critical partner through the entire journey. The biggest ‘thank you’ goes to the Nadlers, whose gift made this reading area possible…Thank you for creating this space to make memories for families for years to come.”
“My husband and I wanted to create a special, inviting and colorful place for families to read to their children, for all patrons to enjoy,” wrote Nadler. “It serves as a reflection on our loss as well as a celebration for the joy our daughters bring us.”
The Nadlers once donated a collection of Caldecott books to the library. (The Randolph Caldecott Medal is awarded every year to the illustrator of a picture book.) After the ribbon cutting, Klor conducted a Caldecott-book themed story time. Using the flannel boarding method of storytelling, which involves attaching various flannel cut-outs to a flannel board to explain a story, Klor told the story of “Joseph Had a Little Overcoat” (by Simms Taback) and “Seven Blind Mice” (by Ed Young). She also read aloud “King Bidgood’s in the Bathtub” (by Audrey and Don Wood).