Hugh came to the library a couple of weeks ago, to a packed hall full of Hugh fans (young and not as young), in a fabulous antidote to the mid-winter blues.  For those of you who don’t know Hugh Hanley, he’s a former preschool teacher turned musician and performer who tailors his interactive programs to the under-7 crowd.  As a former teacher, he pays close attention to the dynamics of the crowd, and alternates as necessary between the quiet songs and fingerplays and the active, stand-up, gross motor songs.  He also has a wonderfully subtle way of requesting that parents stop talking with each other, as he instructs the children to tap on the shoulders of adults who are talking during the show. 

Hugh is masterful, and clearly a large Hugh-fan club is forming in town, so after the show I asked him whether we could just make this a yearly event.  I also had to apologize profusely for the too-large audience (the limit was 75, but a LOT of people came who were not on my list – how do you turn away an eager three-year-old?), and I promised that next January we’ll go for Hugh’s large audience deal with the sound system. 

If you ever get a chance to see Hugh perform, or to bring Hugh to your own library, go for it.  He’s terrific.  Thanks, Hugh!