Goodnight Wimberley as told by Monica Rasco and friends

The Wimberley Village Library is a wonderful place offering amazing things, not only offering the usual books and such, but even now keeping with the times offering drive up service.

One person who was a constant fixture in the Children’s Department was Monica Rasco. Reading to Wimberley’s kids at the library’s Storytime, she is as comfortable in talking to a preschooler as an adult. She just connects with people. She’s been retired for about four years and is lucky as she lives near her grandchildren.

One of her favorite things about being a children’s librarian was getting to review children’s books for the library. One of the books called “Goodnight Austin” was just one of children’s books with a “Goodnight” title.

“I had the idea for the first page, it would be like the others, “Goodnight Moon,” “Goodnight iPad,” “Goodnight Austin,” why not a small town?” She continued. “I knew what I wanted and couldn’t get there myself.”

Her next-door granddaughter, Co-Author Abby Adams, 12 years old, helped her with a dummy book and sketches. Illustrator, Bethsaida Jacobsen is also a local, meeting with Rasco at the grocery store. “Her artwork is amazing… She did a great job. She made the book come to life. With her design I realized how well she captured the feelings of Wimberley.”

The book is something close to her heart, Wimberley. “The book is written as a bedtime story, almost a postcard to Wimberley. I love the landmarks, the Square, Blue Hole, the huge cypress.”

One of the reasons for the book? “I retired too early. I miss the children’s books and Storytime. I have four grandchildren on the street and I read to them often… my favorite was Storytime, it was so much fun and we put on themes, such as two books about fleas.” Another time it was crafts time by drawing a clock’s face on a big brown paper bag and then cutting a whole to put your face in. The original facetime!

“The kids looked so cute dressed up as ladybugs, caterpillars. The theme was always fun.” Children loved to be read to. “Infants four or five months old, their faces would light up.”

Growing up in Houston, neighbors included astronauts John Glenn and others. A University Houston graduate, she loved working with children, teaching pre-K through fifth grade at private schools.

Later she worked at M.D. Anderson and her husband had his own business, but they both wanted to live “somewhere beautiful.” Enter Wimberley, and then the library where she was a volunteer.

“The director said ‘do you have interest in applying as the Children’s Librarian? I happened to be there checking out books. Of course I would love to apply. This was in 2005, Wimberley was a lot smaller. There were not a lot of people using the library. It was quiet.” But with programs suited to the community, the library grew.

“Carolyn Manning was good at opening up the library to programs. Library people come together in a sense of community... The library is a wonderful community resource.”

Being creative with children in mind was a hard habit to break, and it didn’t. It just all came out in a different medium. Promoting parents to read to their children is very important and Rasco’s book does just that. “Read to your babies!”

To see more information or to purchase the book, go to:

store.bookbaby.com/book/Goodnight-Wimberley1

Or message her at 512-573-5732, she will deliver a personally autographed copy.

It is also available at Wimberley Stitch Studio.