Miami-Dade Public Library System

1st PLACE

Quiet, Please!
By Samantha A. Little

“Quiet, please!” says the librarian.
I nod and pass with a softened tread
Through the quiet ranks of books, and then
Choose one that I have not yet read.

“Quiet, please!” said the librarian,
But pirates leap on the shining deck,
Clamber over briny ropes, and then
Sing raucous ballads about a wreck.

“Quiet, please!” said the librarian,
But the jungles crash beneath the stamp
Of the rajah’s elephant, and then
Follows a procession with stately tramp.

“Quiet, please!” said the librarian,
But the horse’s hooves sound loud and clear,
The scaly dragon roars flames, and then
Knight George has freed the folk from fear.

“Well, well,” says the librarian,
“You have been nice and quiet today.”
I nod and smile politely, then
Claim, “It not as quiet as they say.”

2nd PLACE

I Remember
By Chanie Baron

I remember when the library opened in town.
On the plush, blue carpet I sat down.
My mother read out loud to me, The Cat in the Hat.
The book looked so new.
I remember that.

I remember writing my name on a card,
Carefully, neatly
For a six year old that was hard.

Now I browse through shelves and see my old friend.
I’ll read The Cat in the Hat from beginning to end.
Then I’ll sit on the carpet
and think for a while.
I remember, I remember,

3rd PLACE

My Living Story
By Erica Little

When I walked into the library,
I was an empty book;
With second-rate vocabulary,
I settled in a nook.

Between small hands, I tightly held
A promising novelette;
Letter by letter the words I spelled,
And time I did forget.

Though some may with me disagree,
The book did come alive;
My heart did soar; my soul felt free;
Myself it did revive.

Little by little I added to
The pages of my book;
The learning slightly overdue
Finally overtook.

With sparkling eyes, I held up a pile
To the lady at the desk;
Seeing the stack of books, she did smile
At my hidden joy she guessed.