The decibel level is climbing as some 20 preschoolers sprawl out on an alphabet-pattern carpet for story hour.
One toddler, who's new to the group, is having a bit of a meltdown, so Otter Bowman, a library associate at the Daniel Boone Regional Library in Columbia, Mo., goes for the surest trick she has and starts talking about "Junior," the library's bookmobile. As usual, it gets the kids' attention and the gaggle settles down so Bowman can begin story hour.
