CARIBOU, Maine — The penultimate week of Caribou Public Library’s agricultural themed Summer reading program featured stories about tractors and gave local children a chance to sit in one themselves.
Crown Equipment loaned a large blue tractor, which sat in the library parking lot during the week of July 24. Children’s Librarian Erin Albers first led children in a sing-along of “Driving my Tractor,” an animated song written by Jan Dobbins and illustrated by David Sim, aimed at young children. As the animation played through the projector in the lower-level Caribou room, children were initially apprehensive to join in, however many sang along by the end of the musical number.
Albers then led children and parents to an outside gazebo to read an illustrated story on tractors. The crowning moment arrived when they had the opportunity to sit at the tractor’s helm.
Caribou Children’s Librarian Erin Albers shows local children how the interior components of a tractor work and explained their functions as part of the library’s Summer reading program, which focuses on agriculture this year.
(Christopher Bouchard)
Albers carefully led children up the gargantuan New Holland machine, ensuring their safety, and subsequently explained all of the levers and controls on the dash.
One child ran up to a back wheel, excited that he could easily fit in its rim.
Before the event, Albers explained that the machine is capable of numerous jobs on the farm.
“You can connect numerous implements to the back of this tractor for different jobs,” Albers said. “It has a PTO (power take-off) shaft and a three point pitch, which powers what it’s pulling.”
Albers said that, because of the tractor’s size and power, it could likely pull a potato harvester, or a chipper.
Next week marks the end of this year’s summer reading program, and library staff plan a party ifor all age groups who participated.
