Because we all need something to smile about today, let me introduce you to Daliyah Marie Arana. The 4-year-old preschooler from Gainesville, Georgia was the Library of Congress’s “Librarian For A Day” on January 11th, and her adorable photos are melting the internet’s heart.
According to the Washington Post, Daliyah has been interested in reading since she was a baby, when she would listen to her older brother read to her out loud. She began recognizing words at 18 months old, and read her first book on her own a month before she turned 3.
Now, just a year since she read her first book solo, Daliyah has read over 1,000 books, including some college-level texts. She has her own library card and is a regular at her local library. Her favorite author is Mo Willems, and she loves to read about dinosaurs. She plans to read 1,500 books before she enters kindergarten, and wants to help teach other kids to read, too. Additionally, Daliyah is working on learning to read in Spanish, which her dad speaks.
After Daliyah’s mom, Haleema Arana, reached out, the 14th Librarian of Congress, Carla Hayden — who is the first black woman to run the nation’s library — hosted Daliyah at the Library of Congress, giving her a tour of the world’s largest library and bringing her to meetings.
“She just kept saying how the Library of Congress is her most favorite, favorite, favorite library in the whole wide world,” Daliyah’s mom Haleema Arana said.
Daliyah also suggested that the Library of Congress add some whiteboards so that children can practice writing. The Library is working on following her advice.
Let’s all try to be a little more like Daliyah today.
Photos via Twitter/Carla Hayden
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Erika W. Smith is BUST's digital editorial director. You can follow her on Twitter and Instagram @erikawynn and email her at erikawsmith@bust.com.
