John Theo Jr. 
Miss Sue and Pipsqueak Courtesy Miss Sue Brooks
Every so often, the stars align, and a special person is given a unique job that makes such an impact that their presence is felt far out into the community. Sometimes, it’s a doctor, a teacher, a pastor, or a local volunteer. Halifax Libraries’ Miss Sue is such a person. She’s a modern-day Fred Rogers (aka Mr. Rogers). Thirteen years ago, Miss Sue created a children’s program called PALS – Play and Learn Storytime – at the Halifax and South Boston libraries. Sue engages the children with music, art, crafts, books, puppets, and other activities such as playdough, Legos, and STEM toys. The program is for ages birth to eight, but she does offer programs for older kids in the summer.
“I think of myself as a Pied Piper arriving with a guitar and a suitcase full of books and my friend, Pipsqueak, the Mouse,” she explained.
Pipsqueak comes dressed for the month’s theme and sporting a pair of wire-rimmed glasses. Pipsqueak is very shy and has sensitive ears. The children and their adults all love him and look forward to talking to him and seeing what book he has chosen for the day. Pipsqueak is an essential part of PALS. He helps the children become aware of their feelings and to think of others. He’s also mischievous, making circle time an interactive experience for kids and their adults.
Miss Sue plans a new theme each month. “We do follow a routine each storytime. Having a routine prepares kids and their adults for what’s coming next,” she said.
When kids and their adults enter the children’s section for PALS storytime, Miss Sue has several centers set up for them to explore. Children choose the center in which they are interested, be it painting, using homemade playdough, or playing with large motor items on the rug, such as wooden train sets or barn and farm toys. Children learning to make choices and having the freedom to choose is a large part of PALS storytime.
During circle time, Miss Sue leads the group in a Hello warm-up song with movements she wrote and a color song with actions and rhymes, which ends with the kids all seated and ready for what comes next: music, dancing, and singing! The children unknowingly learn to self-regulate while having fun. Next comes storytime. Pipsqueak comes out and spends a few minutes with the kids, introducing the book they will be reading. Miss Sue has the children help turn pages and make comments during the story.
Following circle time, children and their adults engage in art activities to accompany the book. PALS storytime ends with a Bye Bye song and, “Thanks for coming, friends!”
When I first witnessed Miss Sue performing years ago, there were only a handful of parents and children, but word soon spread. Now, you need to get to the library early to find good seating. The kids adore her, and none of the parents are on their cell phones. Everyone is awestruck by her talent.
Francesca Potenza, who is now a teen, spoke fondly of the PALS program. ”PALS allowed me to not only learn about the world around me, but also helped me to cultivate my curiosity and creativity for the future. I am still using the skills and lessons I learned at the PALS program in high school. This program has become such an important piece of me that I continue to find ways to be a part of it today.”
Her mother, Dana, added, “Bringing my daughter to the PALS program with Miss Sue was the best decision I could make for her. It instilled a love of reading she still possesses today.”
A Long Road to Happily Ever After
Miss Sue grew up in northern Illinois. At 19, Sue found herself a single parent of two children. She was welcomed into a local church, where her life changed. One Sunday, a random woman mentioned that she should pursue childcare. Sue loved the idea, and to this day, she believes the woman was an angel sent to give her that specific message. Sue enrolled in community college classes and soon received a full academic scholarship to Harper College, where she focused on early childhood development. After college, Sue opened a daycare in an old Victorian home on five acres. This was unlike any daycare that had ever existed. The children were treated to an immersive, wonderful education.
“My kids weren’t given cereal when they showed up in the morning,” Sue said. “I cooked them real meals, and each child had their own coat hook in my home.” They were treated like family. The children loved Sue’s many animals on the property and helped care for them as part of the daycare exercises. There were horses, cows, pigs, emus, ducks, chickens, and even a blind goose named Blind Faith. Sue’s daycare became well known, and she was featured on television and invited to speak at numerous venues. To this day, Sue still has contact with many of the children from her daycare years.
Eventually, Sue moved to Virginia to be with her aging parents, who had moved here years prior, and she fell in love with the state. Not one to sit still, Sue joined the YMCA and developed the before- and after-school programs as well as the pre-school and summer camp programs. Under her guidance, there soon became a waiting list for the programs. After seven years, she left to care for her elderly father in his final years. Eventually, the library discovered Sue and her hidden talents, and the rest is history.
It’s been 13 years since she started with the Halifax County Libraries, and Miss Sue isn’t slowing down. She has planned festivals and is constantly writing grants to fund new ventures such as gardens, murals, and teen programs. During the summer, it’s standing room only as some crowds swell up to 60-plus kids and teens.
There’s so much more I could write about this remarkable woman— about the time in her life when she lived in a tepee on the Canadian border or how she came to live on the storybook property where she currently resides. She’s had such an eclectic life, but at the end of the day, Miss Sue is a caregiver at heart. There are many wonderful adjectives I could use to describe Miss Sue. She’s talented, patient, and loving, but the real secret to Susan Brooks is that she is so very generous with her time and energy.
To quote Miss Sue, “Giving is the most important part of receiving.”
To see Miss Sue in action, check the PALS schedule on the Halifax County / South Boston Public Library website: https://halifaxlibrary.org/
