Getting a read on the first lady

SWAMPSCOTT – As a mother of three children, Lauren Baker is familiar with the town library. But as Massachusetts’ first lady, the hour Baker spent in the library children’s room Monday gave her a chance to underscore reading’s importance for students across Massachusetts.With a dozen children and their parents or grandparents clustered around her on the children’s room floor, Baker read, “Brown Bear, Brown Bear” followed by, “Bear Snores On.” Her animated interpretation of the two children’s books drew laughs and applause from her audience and praise from parents and library employees.”We’re so fortunate to have someone who loves kids and lives just around the corner,” said children’s librarian Izzi Abrams.Baker and her husband, Gov. Charlie Baker, live about a block away from the library and Baker walked from her home to Monday morning’s reading courtesy of an invitation from a mutual friend of Baker’s and library trustee Marianne McDermott.”Her interest in the library is impressive. She is very interested in reading,” said library Director Alyce Deveau.Baker called her half-morning spent reading and participating in a follow-up crafts-making event “the best part of my day,” and stressed her interest in libraries and young readers. She is helping to support a reading program assisted in part by Scholastic Books, a major youth-oriented literature provider.”We’re still putting the program together, but I am really interested in kids and education,” she said.Her Monday reading choices were selected by Abrams, but Baker quickly engaged her young audience by asking the children to make animal sounds. She introduced “Bear Snores On” by noting, “We all know someone who snores.”Tript Sembhi brought her son, Tegh, to hear Baker read and said the 6-year-old and his Hadley School classmates enjoyed inviting Gov. Baker to read at the school earlier this year.”Its great – she’s from town and knows a lot of families,” Sembhi said.After she finished reading, Baker yielded the limelight to parent Wendy Yaakov, who acted out the children’s story, “Pete the Cat and the Bad Banana.” Yaakov said Baker’s commitment to read at the library underscored the influence she has as a prominent state resident in promoting reading at a young age.”I think it’s fantastic. It is a positive message she is sending,” Yaakov said.Baker’s appearance rounded off the library’s summer-long “messy Mondays,” featuring morning story hours and hands-on crafts project. Julia Wistran brought granddaughters Ella and Clara Wolfe on Monday and said she came away impressed with Baker.”She engaged, and she shows interest in education,” Wistran said.