The sixty-first branch on my library quest was Pleasant View, which was also the very last branch east of the Don Valley Parkway that I hadn’t visited. Hoorah!
Pleasant View had its own building just next door to a community centre. To the right of the library’s entrance was a glass display case filled with objects related to Chinese New Year: lucky red envelopes, an illustrated zodiac, and a red firecracker decoration.
As I ambled around Pleasant View, I discovered a medium-sized auditorium, sections with books in Chinese, French, and Italian, as well as a robust ESL collection. I was especially taken with the open reading areas. There was one in each of the four corners of the building, all with comfy chairs and floor-to-ceiling windows.
Though Pleasant View’s character seemed very utilitarian and functional, it definitely had a whimsical side. In the Children’s section, five arches that contained portraits of animal characters were separated by flat columns that had been splashed with flecks of pink and green paint, creating a very trippy effect.
Proceeding from left to right, the first portrait starred a seated deer wearing a sari. Relaxing in a temple grove, the deer held a book (or possibly a large Blackberry) in her hooves. While she read, she was serenaded by a woman with a sitar and a man with a drum.
Next to the deer was a picture of a rabbit who was wearing the traditional clothes of an unnamed First Nation band.
The third frame depicted the head and neck of a cheerful giraffe. She wore a patterned red scarf and a green and yellow tunic.
The fourth animal’s identity was unclear to me; possibly it was a fox, but its whiskers looked sort of feline. This ambiguous creature was garbed in some class of priestly robes.
Finally, the last animal portrait featured a scholarly bear at work in his study. He wore a robe like an Oxford don and a blue hat in the shape of a Yorkshire pudding.
Inspired by the studious bear, I’m looking forward to continuing the library pilgrimage. Only thirty-eight more branches to go!
